theatre textbook pdf

Sometimes the book refers to “recent productions” or specific software and technological equipment for designers and technicians. Overall the book is an enjoyable read and includes material that I will use in classes. Dr. Mitchell is the author of Shakespeare and Public Execution, an examination of how Shakespeare utilized commonly known tropes of execution for his own dramaturgical ends and the co-editor of Zora Neale Hurston: Collected Plays, the first compilation of the Harlem Renaissance writer's dramatic pieces including two thought to be lost. As mentioned earlier, the world today is very different from the time in which "Theatrical Worlds" was published, and updates to the text would go a long way in solidifying its cultural relevance. That's not to say that it doesn't have good moments. Overall, many examples of theatre in the first chapter and in following chapters include important theatre groups and artists from other countries and outside of white/European history, so I found it to culturally aware and inclusive. One minor but important change should be made to the inset box called "Cross-Dressing in Performance: Dan, Hijra, Takarazuka" in the World Theatre chapter." Proves a bit hard to read, especially in a digital format. 6 0 obj 4 Acting Ch. Many are presented without explanation in the text. These oversights make the book feel dated and out of step with contemporary discourses in theatre practice and education. The book’s contributors seem at times overly dry and academic,– as with the opening to the book’s final chapter on world theatre: “When approaching the topic of world theatre, it is necessary to first dispel some popular myths about theatre forms that are outside the traditional Western theatre aesthetic or canon.” The magic really does slip away. There are long chunks of solid text that contain many ideas. It starts out as an overview of the theatrical process, examining the different areas of production, performance and design, then shifts to an exploration of Shakespeare throughout the past five centuries, shifts to a journey through the history of musical theatre and then finishes with a broad, shallow sketch of world theatre. The Bedford Introduction to Drama 8th. The book is accurate and unbiased, following a fairly well-worn path used by many other introductory textbooks. This text is probably most useful when divided for different courses' purposes. While one could argue about what the authors chose to include (and what was notably left out), the topics that made their way into the book are discussed in an orderly fashion. Reviewed by Gabriel Vanover, Assistant Professor of Theatre, Hanover College on 1/25/19, The book is very elementary in its coverage of theatrical practices, traditions, and technical processes, but also omits entire areas of the arts, including playwriting, dramaturgy and producing. The mention of Directors as Auteurs is a good addition, though it is important to note that contemporary plays in copyright cannot be altered by Directors. Potentially unknown and new concepts and vocabulary are explained. With the exception of a long (and slightly meandering) introduction, most chapters are straightforward and could be viewed as self-contained units, mostly readable in one sitting. Content is generally accurate - to the extent that we take the authors on trust as no attributions to sources are indicated. sections (Introduction and Chapter on Musical Theatre) that are now obsolete. The first half of the text would benefit from additional subdivision of ideas. Reviewed by Matthew Weedman, Assistant Professor, University of Northern Iowa on 2/8/17, The book is divided into three parts. I didn't have problems, but I downloaded it to my iBooks where it behaved like all of other texts. I did not find this an overarching issue with the textbook, however. This could make it very relevant to a variety of different courses. For an introduction textbook, it feels appropriately inclusive of practices in other countries. Reviewed by Edward Eaton, Instructor, Massachusetts Bay Community College on 6/16/20, The book touches on a lot of areas. Yes and no. There is a a wealth of information in this book and more detail in some sections than is commonly found in introductory texts. I look forward to using sections of this text in the future! In an age, for example, that is now enriched by the breakthrough interventions of women directors such as Julie Taymor, Katie Mitchell, Anne Bogart, Deborah Warner, Leigh Silverman, Marianne Elliott, Garry Hynes et al., it jars to read, “Simply put, the director is the “captain” of the collaborative team, responsible for all artistic aspects of the production. Ya, no. endstream The book touches on a lot of areas. "Performativity," not a concept for an intro text, is mentioned in passing, but never defined. It is not a history of the theatre nor is it an attempt to create a way to talk about theory. That plays well in the production chapters where the authors clearly share a similar vision of the work. Not really, but after all this is not a book about the history of theater. those additional important roles in production that do not get a full chapter. However, the history sections (which make up a large section of this book) are un-cited and do not have suggested further reading sections- so they present many ideas of the past and the rest of the world as fact when they are not, which would make me uncomfortable using this text in a theatre history class. Part three is pretty random, so it would be just as effective if the chapters were mixed up. The writer is certainly equal in importance to actor and director./////I very much liked the treatment of “Actor”. Nothing is offensive, but the text is rather Eurocentric in its approach and could've been strengthened by including more references to non-traditional theatre, non-white theatre in the US and the role of the LGBT community in the world of theatre. I only notices a few statements that were questionable, but without an index or citations it is difficulty to follow up on sources for information. One could easily use different chapters in many different classes. 3 0 obj It is hard to determine why those four subjects and not others, yet, each of those subjects is worth mentioning and the chapters hold interest. There were also plenty of terms in bold in each chapter to give the student reader an easy grasp of the main ideas to draw out from each chapter to aid their knowledge. Excellent resource! The first section of the book, "Creating a World," does not have this easy to access structure. Each chapter in this book was written by nine individual writers in what seems like an environment where collaboration was not emphasized. I give high points on the organization based on that alone, not on what I perceive as components important to include. For some reason the letters c and e have been exchanged in many words. There is also something of an obsession with the idea 'theme', which suggests that the writers are not familiar with Aristotle or other classical and traditional theorists. Our extensive collection of curriculum books will help you whether you teach at the elementary, middle school, or high school level. It would be very easy to divide it into assigned readings. The book uses a lot of images, sidebars and quotes to illuminate the text (more at the beginning than later). stream Nothing confusing. The five chapters of Part II on theatrical production seem to narrow the target readership down to theatre majors, or students who clearly intend to participate in theatre production either as performers or designers. Considering the approach to theatre, the text does not contain any offensive or insensitive material. The book takes a comprehensive look at theater. Literary Elements There are six stages in a plot structure. - Stella Adler (Part One: Creating the World) Every theatre instructor and/or practitioner will surely ask why these subjects (Genre, Shakespeare, Musicals, and World Theatre) as opposed to other pet topics. Finally, a glossary (or at least an index) is definitely missing from this introductory book. The book could benefit from a graphic design artist’s input and reorganization of text and image as well as dynamic website integration with links to supportive images, film and in depth related reading, With nine contributing writers there are grammatical conflicts of style and tone, although no errors as such. The Special Topics chapters are perhaps too detailed, setting that section off beyond the general purpose of the book. Reviewed by Cady Garey, Lecturer, University of Virginia on 10/30/20, Text covers major areas of study and practice within the world of Theatre artistry. Theatre and performance seem to be interchangeable (they're not). Of course with different writers the tone is going to be different, even the depth of knowledge. The authors don't contradict each other, but each has her or his own topic. Spending only a paragraph or two to describe a country's theatrical culture left me feeling overwhelmed by the plethora of names, dates and concepts. The opportunity lies in the first chapter where too much is treated too broadly. On the positive side, the information was divided into easily digestible sections and it never felt like it was over-long. Having used a variety of texts before in Intro courses, Theatrical Worlds addresses key terms and ideas, provides appropriate historical context, and cites major names and their contributions. The Theatrical Production chapters are well crafted, balancing theory and practice in a way that both provides overview and gives the reader the way to begin in each specialized area. This text covers a wide range of subjects surrounding Theatre- acting, directing, design, and then Shakespeare, World Theatre, and Musical Theatre. One might be tempted to describe the depth as cursory, but considering the length of the text is similar to other books of the same subject and the exclusion of chapters focusing solely on history, the text discusses each topic to a satisfactory extent. Reviewed by Laszlo Fulop, Associate Professor, University of New Orleans on 2/8/17, The book takes a comprehensive look at theater. The first section of the book does a nice job of describing each area of the theatrical process and how it fits into the overall production process. The chapter on World Theatre includes information that many texts on this subject would likely not include, which is admirable. )Links to an external site. read more. The additional coverage of the practices of various cultures, not just Western theatre, in "Theatrical Worlds," covers many practices often overlooked, though, perhaps unknowingly, such practices often find their way into various enemble approaches. A lot of text. 7 History of Drama Ch. Including the world of theatre outside of the west shows a contrast to mainstream American/western culture. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience. The first section, "Creating a World" seems to be from an entirely different text than any of the others which is very jarring. Otherwise, the book is set up in a logical fashion, comparable to other introductory textbooks. Topics are hit on briefly and presented with too little detail. However, the book is in need of updating within several sections, including musical theatre and world theatre. I wish theatre history had been broken down differently. I love the block sections and subheadings. They added an excitement and a broadening to one's concept of theatre. This text covers a wide range of subjects surrounding Theatre- acting, directing, design, and then Shakespeare, World Theatre, and Musical Theatre. Some of these (numbers and letters, for example) are seemingly the result of transferring data to the format. In the beta- version I read, there were a couple minor errors that may be perhaps due to the formatting (a year with a letter in it, a typo here or there), but nothing appeared overtly biased or inaccurate. There is though a fringe theatre element that is no well represented and in my opinion cannot be expressed well in this kind of text. The pages display well in i-books and there is a graphic display of pages available at the bottom of the page that allows quick navigation. There are a couple chapters where this is not the case, and these would be served by the incorporation of headings and subheadings. %���� It also addresses theoretical ideas that theatre scholars continue to debate, a broad understanding of theatre practices in other parts of the world, and interesting interviews with professionals in the field. Preliminary event: Whatever takes place BEFORE the action of the play that is directly related to the play 3. I would say that the text will not be obsolete very quickly and or be able to be updated fairly easily. The book takes a comprehensive look at theater. Clarity – 3- I sometimes felt I would have lost the students, especially in the opening entitled “mapping reality”. The book covers a wide amount of topics relevant in theatre, including main ideas in practice, design, acting, and directing. Unlike some textbooks, there was a sense of the author(s) talking to you specifically in most instances. The overall format is not quite as glossy or smooth as other online textbooks, but I did not find it to be a problem in reading. While I don't think I would use the entire book, I do think some of the chapters (on design in particular) are strong enough to be included in my class. While a quick search of the OER catalog yields "Theatrical Worlds" as a text relevant to my discipline, the first few links were unusable. The book utilizes a fair amount of images to aid in its information and has bold terms in each chapter that are helpful for students and instructors. Overall this text is a solid attempt to tell the story of theatre. It's mostly relevant, however a few paragraphs could easily be added to update it. Some references will soon be outdated, but the basic content will not require an update in the near future. The Shakespeare chapter was very intensive, and read a bit like an outlier due to its specificity that perhaps might not be a great fit for all Intro courses. There is no index or glossary, but the text is searchable and does include terms in bold font throughout that may aid students in locating specific vocabulary terms. 10. by Oscar G. Brockett. 11. This type of detail is missing from the other chapters. 2. The tone shifts as the reader is brought into the practical and technological aspects of production followed by a look at notable playwrights and theatre genres (the chapter on Shakespeare stands out given its length and prominence in the text). These areas, I believe, happened in the translation of the text to the digital format-- replacement of words or letters with strange text or odd additions to photos. Grammatical - 4 – accessible Part Three covers such a wide range of topics that it seems as though it is not designed for just one class and elements could be included in several different courses. read more. Rising action: A series of events following the initial incident and leading up to the dramatic climax 4. The third sections, "Special Topics" also follows a structure that would allow an instructor to deliver sections of text at different points during a course. The writing is extremely clear and accessible, which is perfect for an introductory course. The clearest chapter, design, are also the ones that could also be in danger of using the most jargon. ISBN: 0976800314 Publisher: CGTOOLKIT | Add to Booklist | Formats: New, Used. <> Included other facts and info. It would likely require a couple assignments to be feasible as an introduction to the course, although the material in the chapter would offer much for discussion and to consider as framing for the rest of the course. It is also a good resource for students to understand Genre and how it relates to the different types/styles of theater; and the student will benefit greatly from understanding of how theater affects our day-to-day lives. 11 Lighting and Sound Ch. While it is an introductory text, it limits its use by focusing predominantly on western voices: Stanislavski, Shakespeare, etc. Discussion on Genre (one that would actually include more genres and be more organized) should be situated earlier in the text. In its outstanding eighth edition, Theatre: The Lively Art remains the best-selling Introductory Theatre text for Theatre Appreciation courses. Since commedia dell'arte is known for the mask work I believe offering an explanation in the way of an image or text would better describe the art form. An accessible open textbook on theatre is a welcome proposition. Generally, the book contains much that can be used for some time, with some supplementary materials on the part of the instructor. ", Reviewed by David Mroden, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona on 2/8/17, This text covers a lot of ground; perhaps too much. Who was Shakespeare? Set design chart Pg. 2 Pantomime and Mime Ch. I was frustrated, though, in that it almost tries to cover too much information. The section that might have been rewarding, Interpreting Shakespeare, is afforded all of three paragraphs. With it is included his "Score Sketch for Mechanized Eccentric" for the stage, which offers a synthesis of form, motion, sound, light, color, and scent. It did not seem to have a logical order. Part three is random. The Theater and Its Double (Paperback) by Antonin Artaud. It starts out with an essay about the basic elements and qualities of theater, about meaning, etc. Given the daunting task of covering all aspects of theatre, the book attempts to cover an impressive range of topics. The book is an introduction to ideas which will hopefully provoke students to investigate further and allow instructors to flesh out the material in class. Perhaps more significantly, the lack of this information suggests to students that there are not competing ideas about the practices, historical developments, and theatrical works that the book explores and engages. The prose is accessible but the lucidity varies and technical terms are used on occasion without contextual explanation. Per email reminder dated 4-6-20 and as suggested, I am completing my review on separate paper and will attach to email review form in the final additional comments box. (I say "usually" because the chapter on Costumes does not have an historic overview.). It is a mix of Intro textbook and Theatre History textbook. Given that illusion is the sine qua non of theatre the ‘Mapping Reality’ introduction never really elaborates on the concept of ‘reality’ it proposes - neither does it explore the intriguing metaphor of ‘mapping’ or orientating oneself within the theatre world’s own distinctive collaborative geography. Yes, I think that the language above describes the text accurately. As each chapter is authored by someone different, there is some variety in the prose and the framework of the ideas. Text should be updated with additions to be current. The Special Topics chapters are organized well and provide considerable insight, but often include references that are not explained in context. In sections where opinions or high-level ideas are asserted, the authors lean towards the benign rather than the controversial. I appreciated the quality of the images and amount of images included throughout the text. The special topics chapters answer that call with more in depth study. Regardless, I appreciated the amount of work put into compiling an enormous amount of vital information on theater. Although it's important to note the relationship of live theatre to film, there is too much mention of screen versions (and there should be a photograph of a stage production of "Les Mis" - not the movie). It is difficult to judge the information about world theatre as it does not stick to a single format, discussing historical theatre of some cultures and modern practices of others. Those elements would be useful if technically available. ‘Mapping Reality’, which sets out the premise or overview of the book is a rambling digression across definitions of fine art, aesthetics, the ‘qualities’ of theatre, and goes on for some fifteen pages of text before we have any visual image or illustration of interest. This means that each chapter is tonally very different from the others. The text on the whole is very modular and easy to break up into smaller assigned readings. Dramaturgs could be mentioned as well. After earning a PhD from the University of Colorado, he was a production dramaturg for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and later for Playmakers Repertory, where he was a visiting professor at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Shakespeare is given an entire huge chapter, which is a bit odd for an introductory textbook, and there is a tremendous amount put into the introductory chapter (some further division there would have been helpful). The topic is so vast.... but it does a solid job at covering the basics for an introductory student. Consequently, it can feel a little watered down at times. It's hard to judge this portion, as the book does not contain a works cited or bibliography list. Numbers were consistently altered to letters and symbols throughout. In theatre, the stage (sometimes referred to as the deck in stagecraft) is a designated space for the performance of theatrical productions or other events. As a professor of a number of introductory theatre classes, "Theatrical Worlds" will be the OER text I rely on next school year. That the section on "World Theatre" is about the same length as the section on "The American Musical" could be a little problematic. The 24 Elders is a historical event adapted from Revelation (KJV) which brings to light the stories of the past and foretells the future. 8. 'Wokabout Marketing' page 46 However, they could have at least agreed on a structure for each chapter, or edited them that way. I was taken aback by some of the brief mentions of racial inequalities in the production world. It covers some theoretical ideas of theatre in the first chapter, then jumps into production, covering topics through individual chapters on acting, directing, set design, costume design, and lighting design. The Theatrical Production chapters read very well with language that is both accessible and compelling. It is pretty easy to read for an undergraduate level and gives a good foundation of history and ideas that an instructor can base many lectures/discussions/quizzes/tests from. The content is accurate and does not appear biased. The book is divided into three parts. He completed his BFA actor training at Ithaca College. For the most part, this book is clear and easy to understand. I especially like that it poses an important question for students; Do I really want a life in the theatre? The Beta version has no index or glossary. The jump to a much more in-depth look at the works of Shakespeare and musical theatre took it to a different level of study beyond the introductory stage. This section is an attempt to place theatre in a social and historical context.

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