Theatre Studies

A provocative overview of the questions raised by theatrical encounters between performers and audiences, drawing on examples that have sought to generate active audience involvement from Brecht's epic theatre to The Blue Man Group. It argues for more audience-responsive approaches to what theatre does for those who witness, watch or participate.

This is a lively, readable and accurate verse translation of the six best plays by one of the most influential of all classical Latin writers. The volume includes Phaedra, Oedipus, Medea, Trojan Women, Hercules Furens, and Thyestes, together with an invaluable introduction and notes.

The theatre has always been a place where conceptions of race and racism have been staged, shared and perpetuated. Harvey Young introduces key ideas about race, before tracing its relationship with theatre and performance - from Ancient Athens to the present day.

The Sunday Times BestsellerThis is the inside story of twelve years at the helm of Britain's greatest theatre. of opening the doors of the National Theatre to a broader audience than ever before, and changing the public's perception of what theatre is for.

How can an understanding of theatre in the city help us make sense of urban social experience?

In a world of spectacular suffering and power plays - large and small - what is theatre's role in protecting human dignity? With its impassioned plays, inspired activism and outspoken artists, the theatre has long provided a venue for promoting and practising human rights;

Drawing on sources from Aeschylus to The Lion King, Chekhov to Complicite, tragedy to advertising, the book argues for theatre's importance as a site of resistance to the ruthless spread of the global market. Foreword by Mark Ravenhill

Theatre& Education provides an insight into the energy, passion and values that have inspired the most inventive theatre-makers who work with young people in educational settings. It argues that the aesthetic principles and educational ideals that inform theatre& education drive at the heart of why theatre matters.

Theatre and architecture are seeming opposites: one a time-based art-form experienced in space, the other a spatial art experienced over time. The book unpicks these assumptions, demonstrating ways in which theatre and architecture are essential to each other and contextualizing their dynamic relationship historically and culturally.

Theatre & the Visual argues that theatre studies' preoccupation with problems arising from textual analysis has compromised a fuller, political consideration of the visual.

All performance depends upon our abilities to create, perceive, remember, imagine and empathize. This book provides an introduction to the evolutionary and cognitive foundations of theatrical performing and spectating and argues that this scientific perspective challenges some of the major assumptions about what takes place in the theatre.

Walsh argues that there are many links between theatre and therapy when considering actor training, theatre in therapeutic contexts, and contemporary theatre and performance. He draws on a range of examples that include the drama of Sarah Kane, the method acting of Daniel Day Lewis and performances by Ruby Wax and David Hoyle.

A vibrant introduction to theatre that engages with stories, conditions and experiences of migration. Arguing that migration is crucially about encounters with foreignness, Emma Cox traces international histories of migration and considers key issues in contemporary performance - from Cape Town and Melbourne, to London and Toronto.

While the body appears in almost all cultural discourses, it is nowhere as visible as in dance. This book captures the resurgence of the dancing body in the second half of the twentieth century by introducing students to the key phenomenological, kinaesthetic and psychological concepts relevant to both theatre and dance studies.

If violence is a terrible thing, why do we watch it? Nevitt explores the use of violence in theatre and its effect on spectators. Critically engaging with examples of stage combat, rape, terrorism, wrestling and historical re-enactments, she argues that studying violence through theatre can be part of a desire to create a more peaceful world.

This fascinating account of the relationship between theatre and time explores how different concepts of time - including linear clock time, the cyclical time of the planets and seasons, the rhythms of the body and individual memories - have impacted on and been reinforced by theatre throughout history, from medieval times to the present day.

This stimulating introduction to laughter in theatre and performance examines laughter among actors, among audience, and the interaction between the two.

The historical age of empires may be over, but empire, as an idea, continues to exercise a hold over our imaginations.

This exploration of theatre and the rural argues that the reality of the lived rural is overlaid with external representations, often coloured by nostalgia, which are reflected and potentially created by theatre and its practices. It suggests that we need to re-engage with the actuality of the rural in order to fully understand our own nations.

An accessible and engaging second workbook on musical theatre, presenting students with the next steps for practising, developing and honing their performance skills. Packed with activities and examples, and offering expanded coverage of acting and dance, this text gives students the skills, rigour and independence to excel in this dynamic form.

This is the essential guide for anyone interested in pursuing an acting career. Praised for its honesty, broad coverage and wise advice from working professionals, the new edition is fully updated to reflect the acting industry today and is filled with advice and warnings to help you succeed.

When directors approach Shakespeare, is the play always the thing - or might something else sometimes be the thing? How can directing produce fresh contexts for Shakespeare's work?

Cicely Berry, Voice Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is world-famous for her voice teaching. The Actor and the Text is her classic book, distilled from years of working with actors of the highest calibre.

From helpful hints on writing to tips on directing (working with actors and technicians, when to listen to the experts, how to cope with rehearsals), this book provides a complete primer to the art of playwriting.

Now in its third edition, this guide outlines the techniques needed to achieve success in getting acting work. It covers all aspects of casting, including gaining a place on a drama course, landing a part in a film, TV commercials or theatre, and becoming a radio or TV presenter.

This guide takes the reader through a practical training programme relevant to the modern singing actor and dancer. A variety of contemporary voice qualities, including belting and twang are explained, with exercises for each topic.

Social media has become an increasingly prevalent aspect of our lives, used daily by many people. In this timely study, Patrick Lonergan examines the relationship between social media and theatre. He argues that social media is itself a performance space, analysing how it's used by both theatres and audiences and also in connection with each other.

This classic study is both an introduction to, and an overview of, the relationship between feminism and theatre. The reissued edition features a new Foreword by Elaine Aston who examines the context in which Case's book was written, the influence it has had, subsequent developments in the field and the continued importance of the work.

"Applied Theatre: Research is the first book to consolidate thinking about applied theatre as research through a thorough investigation of ATAR as a research methodology. It will be an indispensable resource for teachers and researchers in the area. The first section of the book details the history of the relationship between applied theatre and research, especially in the area of evaluation and impact assessment, and offering an examination of the literature surrounding applied theatre and research. The book then explores how applied theatre as research (ATAR) works as a democratic and pro-social adjunct to community based research and explains its complex relationship to arts informed inquiry, Indigenous research methods and other research epistemologies. The book provides a rationale for this approach focusing on its capacity for reciprocity within communities. The second part of the book provides a series of international case studies of effective practice which detail some of the key approaches in the method and based on work conducted in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the South Pacific. The case studies provide a range of cultural contexts for the playing out of various forms of ATAR, and a concluding chapter considers the tensions and the possibilities inherent in ATAR. This is a groundbreaking book for all researchers who are working with communities who require a method that moves beyond current research practice"--

A great collection of comic monologues aimed at women from actress and comedienne Katy Wix. Foreword by Jennifer Saunders.

Throughout the history of the nation-state, theatre has contributed to the construction and reappraisal of the nation and national identities. This book argues that ideas of the nation are constantly in flux and explores the way theatre engages with such changes according to different geographical, political, economic, social and cultural climates.

This book, now in paperback, interrogates the interaction between new technologies and performance practice, linking the sensuous contact that exists between the physical and virtual, along with the resultant corporeal transformation. It features writings from international contributors specializing in digital art and performance practices.

Covers theatre in educational settings; prison theatre; community performance; theatre in conflict resolution and reconciliation; interventionist theatre; and, theatre for development. This book presents a collection of critical thought and practice.

A stimulating introduction to the drama of the early modern era, through a focus on commercial playhouses and their repertoires.

The author isn't sure, even though he's been one himself for over thirty years. Join him backstage as he examines that business called showbusiness, from am dram to Hollywood, and from Shakespeare to ads for flatulence pills. This title shares his hard-won wisdom.

A collection of both serious and comic monologues from the last three decades of contemporary playwriting, this title features pieces from Caryl Churchill, Michael Frayn, Martin McDonagh and Sarah Kane. It should be a useful resource for auditions, acting class and rehearsal

A study of the major acting techniques. It outlines the development of the respective technique and offers practical guidance for actors wishing to explore it for themselves.