The Art of Theatre: Then and Now

Cover
Contents
Preface
About the Authors
Part 1: Theatre Literacy
	Chapter 1: Theatre, Art, And Entertainment
		Art, Or Not Art, That Is The Question
		The Qualities Of Art
			Human Expression
			Subject And Medium
			Response
			Perception Of Order
		The Politics Of Art
		Art Versus Entertainment
		What Is Theatre? What Is Drama
		The Common Categories Of Theatre
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Plato, Aristotle, And Theatre Arts
			To Be An Artist Means Finding Form And Structure
			The Life And Death Of Ken Saro-wiwa
	Chapter 2: Stage Versus Screen
		The Audience
		Acting: Key Differences
		Directing: Key Differences
		Funding And Profit
			Funding The Screen
			Funding Theatre And The Arts
		Who Is In Control
			Who Controls Content
			Who Controls The Copyright
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			We Hate You But Please Keep Sending Us Baywatch
			Copyright Law: Infringement, Public Domain, And  Parody
	Chapter 3: Theatre of the People
		Art, Entertainment, And Privilege
		Theatre And Culture
			Theatre Of Identity
			Theatre Of Protest
			Cross-cultural Theatre
		Seeing Through Another’s Eyes
		Culture Wars
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Color Consciousness
			Karen Finley And The Nea
	Chapter 4: Experiencing and Analyzing Plays
		A Group Activity
		Group Dynamics
		The Willing Suspension Of Disbelief
		Aesthetic Distance
		Levels Of Participation
			Sitting Quietly In The Dark
			Not Sitting Quietly In The Dark
		Attending The Theatre
			Finding A Play
			Getting Tickets
			Saving Money
			Dress Codes
			Before The Play
			After The Play
		Play Analysis
			Reviews
			Dramatic Criticism
			Assessment
		Freedom Of Speech
		Censorship
		The First Amendment
			Defamation
			Breach Of The Peace
			Sedition And Incitement To Crime
			Separation Of Church And State
			Obscenity
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Ovation Inflation
			Audiences Behaving Badly
			Genre
Part 2: The Arts Within The Arts
	Chapter 5: A Day in the Life of a Theatre
		9 Am: Entering Springfield Ensemble Rep By Ghost Light
		10 Am: Checking Wardrobe And Planning For Next Season
		11 Am: Rehearsing And Building A Show
		Noon: Fund-raising, Designing, And Sewing
		1 Pm: More Rehearsing
		2 Pm: Creating Sets And Sounds, And Advising The Director
		3 Pm: Attending Meetings And Creating A Mission Statement
		4 Pm: Publicizing A Play And Fitting Costumes
		5 Pm: Brainstorming A Concept
		6 Pm: Preparing For The Evening Performance
		7 Pm: Opening The House
		8 Pm: Performing The First Act
		9 Pm: Performing The Final Act
		10 Pm: Clearing Out
		11 Pm: Bringing Out The Ghost Light
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			The Producers
			The Stage Manager
			If It Can Go Wrong, It Will
	Chapter 6: The Art of Playwriting
		The Playwright’s Life
		The Playwright’s Art
		Theme
		Action
		Conflict
		Language
			Subtext
			Imagery
			Rhythm, Tempo, And Sound
		Plot
		Formula Plots
			Beginning
			Middle
			End
		Non-formula Plots
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			The Life Of A Playwright: Sarah Ruhl
			Formula Storytelling—star Wars Compared To  Romeo And Juliet
			How Many Acts? How Many Intermissions
	Chapter 7: The Art of Acting
		Training To Be An Actor
			Training The Body
			Training The Voice
			Training The Mind
		Gurus And Mentors: Acting Teachers
		Acting Techniques We All Can Use
			Changing How You Feel
			Empathy And The Magic If
			Substitution
		Understanding A Character
			Circumstances And Objectives
			Public And Personal Images
			Inner Conflicts And Character Flaws
			Motivation
		The Actor’s Life
			Auditions
			Rehearsals
			Performances
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			The Life Of An Actor: Terri White
			An Actor’s Nightmare—forgetting Lines
			Tadashi Suzuki
	Chapter 8: The Art of Directing
		The Birth Of Directors
		Before Rehearsals Begin
		It All Starts With The Script
		Structural Analysis
			The Production Concept
			Casting The Right Actors
		The Director’s Role During Rehearsals
			Focus
			Reinforcing The Story With Pictures
		Different Types Of Directors
			Interpretive Directors
			Creative Directors
		Contemporary Trends
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			The Life Of A Director: Tisa Chang
			Playwright Versus Director
	Chapter 9: The Art of Design
		From Page To Stage
			Doing The Homework
			Design Team Meetings
		Filling The Empty Space
			Designing The Set
			Designing The Lights
			Designing The Sound
			Designing The Costumes
			Designing The Props
			Makeup, Wigs, And False Noses
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Theatre Spaces
			Theatrical Styles
			The Life Of A Designer: Ming Cho Lee
	Chapter 10:  A Creative Life
		Creativity
			Creativity And Technique
			Creativity And Talent
		Creative People
			A Burning Curiosity
			The Power Of Concentration
			The Ability To Find Order
			Mental Agility And The Ability To Find Options
			The Willingness To Take Risks And Accept  Failure
		Enhancing Your Creativity
			Consider Your Environment
			Temper Your Criticism
			Assess Your Motivation
			Adjust Your Schedule
			Let Your Mind Wander
			The Need For Solitude
			Change Your Life
		Creativity Is About Problem Solving
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Identify Your Intelligences And Cultivate Your Creativity
			Playfulness: The First Quality Of Genius
			Creativity Is More Than Imagination
	Chapter 11:  The Musical
		The Many Types Of Musicals
			The Script
			From Ballads To Showstoppers
		Musicals: Then And Now
			Opera: High Art And Comic Relief
			Early American Musicals
			African American Musicals
			Railroads, War, And Jazz
			The Show Boat Revolution
			Thoroughly Modern Musicals
		The End Or A New Beginning
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Stephen Sondheim
			Unsung Heroines Of The American Musical
			Hooray For Bollywood
Part 3: A Concise History
	Chapter 12: Theatre Around The World
		African Theatre
			Precolonial Forms
			Invaders: Colonial Forms
			Postcolonial Forms
		Indian Theatre
			Sanskrit Drama
			One Hundred Thousand Verses
			The British Invasion
		Chinese Theatre
			The Opera Of Peking
			Western Influences On Chinese Theatre
		Japanese Theatre
			Noh Theatre
			Kabuki Theatre
			The Japanese Shakespeare: Chikamatsu
			Western Influences On Japanese Theatre
		Islamic Theatre
			Shadow Theatre
			Religious Drama
			Western Influences On Islamic Theatre
		East Meets West
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Masks And Theatre
			Men Playing Women
			Bunraku Puppets
	Chapter 13: The Greeks To The Rise Of Christianity
		The Birth Of Tragedy
			Before Acts And Intermissions
			From Hubris To Catharsis
			Tragic Trilogies And Satyr Plays
		Playwrights Of The Golden Age
			Aeschylus: The Warrior Playwright
			Sophocles: The Wise And Honored One
			Euripides: Never Afraid To Speak His Mind
		Greek Comedies
		Aristotle And Alexander The Great
		Roman Spectacles
			The Las Vegas Of Ancient Times
			Roman Mimes
			2,000-year-old Sitcoms
			The Singing, Acting Emperor
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			The Cradle Of Western Civilization
			Oedipus Rex
			The Mime Who Became An Empress
	Chapter 14: The Dark Ages To The Dawn Of The Renaissance
		A Dark Age For Theatre
		The Middle Ages
			From The Churches To The Streets
			The Fall Of Lucifer And Other Entertainments
			Pride, Lust, Sloth, And Gluttony: Allegories
		Aristotle Rediscovered
		A More Secular Theatre
		The Renaissance Begins
			The Printing Press And Subversive Ideas
			Humanists
			The Demise Of Religious Theatre
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Hroswitha: The Nun Who Wrote Plays
			The Black Death Takes Center Stage
			Aristotle And Aristotelian Scholasticism
	Chapter 15: The Renaissance
		The Italian Influence
			The Rebirth Of Slapstick
			Classical Correctness
			Italian Perspective Scenery
		Spanish Theatre
		Elizabethan Theatre
			The World Of The Globe
			Rogues And Vagabonds
		Shakespeare And His Contemporaries
			Christopher Marlowe: A University Man
			Ben Jonson: The First Poet Laureate
			William Shakespeare: The Bard
		From Extravagant Masques To Puritan Abstinence
		French Theatre
			Pierre Corneille: The Rule Breaker
			Jean Racine: The Rule Advocate
			Molière: The Risk Taker
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Women On Stage
			The Most Famous Whodunit In Theatre
	Chapter 16: The Restoration,  The Enlightenment,  And Romanticism
		The Restoration
		The Age Of Reason
			Science: A Faith In Reason
			Philosophy: Embracing Doubt
			Religion: Is Nothing Sacred
		Theatre During The Enlightenment
			Diderot: The Playwright Who Wrote The Encyclopedia
			Lessing: The Philosopher Of The Three Rings
			Beaumarchais: The Barber Who Started A Revolution
			Voltaire: Honored Philosopher Who Teaches Men To Think
		Romanticism
			The Night Romanticism Won
			Goethe: The Bard Of Berlin
		Melodrama
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Nell Gwyn
			Puritans And The Little Church Around The Corner
			Traveling Stars And Ira Aldridge
	Chapter 17: Modern Theatre
		The Advent Of Realism
			Influences: Darwin, Freud, And Marx
			Box Sets And Fourth Walls
		Local Flavor And Real People
			Henrik Ibsen: The Father Of Realism
			George Bernard Shaw: Cerebral And  Socially Relevant
			Anton Chekhov: The Lazy Chaos Of Life
		Naturalism: A Slice Of Life
		The Rise Of The Avant-garde
			Symbolism To Expressionism
		Absurdism: Beckett, Ionesco, And Pinter
			Jean-paul Sartre: Existentialism
			Bertolt Brecht: Appealing To The Intellect
		Postwar Theatre In The United States
		Off Broadway, And Off-off Broadway
		Contemporary Theatre: It’s Alive
		Theatre In The Digital Age
		Curtain Call
		Spotlights
			Oscar Wilde
			Chekhov, Stanislavsky, And The Birth Of  Modern Acting
			The Revolt Of The Beavers
			Absurdism And Aristotle’s Final Cause
			Mccarthyism, Lillian Hellman, And The Theatre
Glossary
Index