The Essential Theatre

Description

Cover IFC Half Title Title Statement Copyright Brief Contents Contents Preface Part 1: Foundations Ch 1: The Nature of Theatre Ch 1: Introduction The Basic Elements of Theatre Theatre as a Form of Art Special Qualities of Theatre Art and Value Multiple Intelligences Theory and the Arts Ch 2: The Audience and Criticism Ch 2: Introduction Experiencing a Performance Who Is the Audience? The Audience and Critical Perspective The Basic Problems of Criticism Qualities Needed by the Critic Ch 3: The Play Ch 3: Introduction On Reading a Play Dramatic Action Methods of Organizing Dramatic Action Plot Character and Characterization Thought Sound and Spectacle Form in Drama Style in Drama Different Styles of Production Applied to the Same Play Part 2: Varieties of Theatrical Experience Ch 4: Festival Theatre Ch 4: Introduction The Theatre of Ancient Greece The Theatre of Dionysus The Performers Greek Comedy The Roman Theatre Experience Roman Theatrical Context Other Roman Drama and Theatre The Revival of Drama in the Medieval Period Trade Guilds and the Corpus Christi Festival Conventions of Medieval Theatre The Wakefield Cycle Other Medieval Theatre and Drama Comparing Greek, Roman, and Medieval Theatre Ch 5: Creating a Professional Theatre Ch 5: Introduction Creating a Professional Theatre Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre The Theatre Experience in Renaissance Italy Commedia dell’Arte The French Background Molière and Seventeenth-Century French Theatre Practice The Elizabethan, Italian, and French Traditions Ch 6: Theatre in the 1800s Ch 6: Introduction The Emergence of Romanticism Melodrama The Advent of Realism Realism and Naturalism Zola and Naturalism The Emergence of the Director The Independent Theatre Movement The Stanislavsky System Early Reactions to Realism Symbolism “Art for Art’s Sake” Summary Ch 7: Modernism in the Twentieth Century: 1900–1960 Ch 7: Introduction The Modernist Influence on Theatrical Visionaries Futurism, Dada, and Expressionism American Theatre and Drama between the Wars (1917–1940) Epic Theatre Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty Post–World War II European Drama and Theatre Absurdist Drama Post–World War II American Drama and Theatre Ch 7: Summary Ch 8: Decentralization and Subsidization: New Directions Ch 8: Introduction Postwar British Theatre American Regional Theatres Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway Alternative Theatre Groups Poor and Environmental Theatres Multimedia, Happenings, and Performance Art A New Generation of American Playwrights Ch 8: Summary Ch 9: Contemporary Theatre and Its Diversity Ch 9: Introduction Cultural Diversity African American Theatre Latino Theatre Asian American Theatre Native American Theatre Theatre by and for Women Gay and Lesbian Theatre Performance Art Since 1990 Postmodernism Postmodern Influences on Interpretation and Design Contemporary British Drama The Next Wave of Contemporary American Playwrights Ch 9: Summary Ch 10: Musical Theatre Ch 10: Introduction Origins of Musical Theatre The Birth of the Modern Musical Golden Age Musicals Alternatives to the Book Musical Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Megamusical The 1990s: Revitalizing the American Musical The 2000s: Movies, Jukeboxes, and Other Possibilities Ch 10: Summary Ch 11: Asian and African Theatre Ch 11: Introduction Theatre in Japan Noh Theatre Other Traditional Japanese Theatre Forms Modern Japanese Theatre Theatre in China Other Asian Countries Theatre in Africa Performance in Nigeria South Africa North Africa Other African Countries Part 3: Theatrical Production Ch 12: Theatrical Space and Production Design Ch 12: Introduction The Influence of Theatrical Space The Proscenium-Arch Stage The Thrust Stage The Arena Stage Flexible Space Auxiliary Spaces Using the Theatrical Space Production Design Elements and Principles Collaboration and the Designers’ Process Ch 13: Playwriting and Dramaturgy Ch 13: Introduction The Playwright The Dramaturg Literary Management Ch 14: Directing and Producing Ch 14: Introduction The Producer The Director The Director’s Tools Rehearsing the Play Thinking about the Director’s Work Ch 15: Acting Ch 15: Introduction Approaches to the Art of Acting The Actor’s Training Rehearsing and Performing The Profession Thinking about the Actor’s Work Ch 16: Scene Design Ch 16: Introduction The Functions of Scene Design The Scene Designer’s Skills Working Plans and Procedures Basic Scenic Elements Assembling and Painting Scenery Shifting Scenery Onstage Set Decoration and Properties Technical Rehearsals, Dress Rehearsals, and Performances The Scene Designer’s Assistants and Collaborators Thinking about the Scene Designer’s Work Ch 17: Costume Design and Makeup Ch 17: Introduction The Functions of Costume Design The Costume Designer’s Skills Working Plans and Procedures Realizing the Designs The Costume Designer and the Actor Makeup The Costume Parade, Dress Rehearsals, and Performances The Costume Designer’s Assistants Thinking about Costume and Makeup Ch 18: Lighting and Sound Design Ch 18: Introduction The Controllable Qualities of Light The Functions of Lighting Design The Lighting Designer’s Skills The Lighting Designer’s Working Procedures Organizing the Distribution of Light Setting the Lights, Rehearsals, and Performances The Lighting Designer’s Assistants The Increasing Role of Sound Design The Functions of Sound Design The Sound Designer’s Working Methods and Resources Mixed-Media Productions Thinking about Stage Lighting and Sound Afterword Glossary Bibliography Index IBC