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Criticism, Theory & History

See also: Theatre Criticism, Theory & History New & Featured

Backlist

Stella Adler on Ibsen
Stella Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg and Chekhov
Stella Adler
In this long awaited book Stella Adler gives us her extraordinary insights into the work of Ibsen, Strindberg and Chekhov. Adler's book has been brilliantly edited by Barry Paris and puts her famous lectures into print for the first time. Hardcover, $38.50; Paperback, $23.00.

  


Backwards & Forwards

Backwards & Forwards:
A Technical Manual for Reading Plays

David Ball
This guide to play reading for students and practitioners of both theater and literature compliments, rather than contradicts traditional methods of literary analysis of scripts. Useful for people who put on plays and for playwrights because the structures it describes are the primary tools of the playwright. $20.95.

Sourcebook of African-American Performance
A Sourcebook of African-American Performance: Plays, People, Movements
Annemarie Bean
Included are articles, essays, manifestos and interviews on theater on the professional, revolutionary and college stages; concert dance; community activism; step shows; performance art previously published in TDR. Also includes the plays Sally's Rape and The America Play. $37.99.

 

A Director Prepares
A Director Prepares:
Seven Essays on Art and Theatre
Anne Bogart
"I am interested in the artistic process. In order to approach the theatre as artists, we should have a good look at our tools and how we make decisions. How do we approach one another in the arena of a rehearsal or on a stage? How do we begin, how do we proceed, and what are our allies?" This brief quote from the introduction gives a glimpse of the extraordinary insight that Anne Bogart offers into the creative process. A handbook, bible and manifesto all in one from one of the most dynamic artistic minds working in the theatre today. Softcover, 155pp, $23.95.
 

Meyerhold
Meyerhold :
A Revolution in the Theatre

Edward Braun
The most innovative Russian theatre director of the 20th century. The definitive study of Meyerhold's theatrical genius which will inspire a new generation of students. Essential reading for those who wish to gain a greater understanding of the growth of culture in 20th century Europe. $36.95.

 

 

The Empty Space
The Empty Space
Peter Brook
One of the world's most famous directors gives us the distillation of his knowledge and experience of the theatre. A brilliant book, should be read by many besides those passionate few to whom it will be required reading. $16.99.

 

 


The Fervent Years

The Fervent Years
Harold Clurman
A history of the Group Theater in the 30s. It was here that method acting, native realism and political language had their tryouts in front of audiences who demanded a departure from the Broadway tradition. $25.95.

 



The Stuff of Dreams

The Stuff of Dreams

Leah Cohen
Documenting the community theatre production of M. Butterfly, by Arlington Friends of the Drama, Cohen sets out to chronicle the everyday magic that draws millions of participants to thousands of community theatres across America.This is a fascinating portrait of community theatre in America- and of American community. Softcover, $22.00.

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Twentieth Century Performance Reader
Twentieth Century Theatre:
A Sourcebook

Richard Drain, ed.
A uniquely wide-ranging selection of original writings on theater by some of its most creative practitioners. The key texts span the 20th century and provide direct access to the thinking behind much of the most stimulating theater the century has to offer. $38.99.

 


Sweet Violence
Sweet Violence: The Idea of the Tragic
Terry Eagleton
In this dazzling book, Terry Eagleson provides a comprehensive study of tragedy, all the way from Aeschylus to Edward Albee, dealing with both theory and practice, and moving between ideas of tragedy and analyses of particular works and authors. Sweet Violence takes serious issue with the idea of 'the death of tragedy', and gives a comprehensive survey of definitions of tragedy itself, arguing a radical and controversial case. Softcover, 328 pp. $41.95.

The Haunted Smile
The Story of Jewish Comedians in America
The Haunted Smile
The Story of Jewish Comedians in America

Lawrence J. Epstein
The Mark Brothers, Jack Benny, Joan Rivers, Jackie Mason, Rodney Dangerfield, Mel Brooks, Alan King, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, and Jerry Seinfeld are just a few of the Jewish-Americans who have entered the canon of great comedians. Bringing together biographical sketches and sample routines from the very best Jewish-American comedians, author Lawrence J. Epstein offers us a deep and subtle understanding of how Jewish culture and American openness gave birth to a new style of entertainment. Softcover, 356 pp., $23.00.

Theory/ Theatre: An Introduction
Theory/ Theatre: An Introduction
(Second Edition)
Mark Fortier
Theory / Theatre provides a unique and engaging introduction to literary theory as it relates to theatre and performance. Fortier examines current theoretical approaches, from semiotics and post-structuralism, through cultural materialism, post-colonial studies and feminist theory. Theory / Theatre is still the only study of its kind and is invaluable reading for students and scholars of performance theory. Softcover, $29.95.


 

Women, Theatre and Performance
Women, Theatre and Performance:
New Histories, New Historiographies

Maggie B. Gale & Viv Gardner, editors
The first volume in an annual series investigating women's theatre history and a number of hitherto 'hidden' women performers. The essays in this volume range over the history of the last 300 years, touching on writing, performing and the notion of gender and theatrical space. Softcover, 243 pp, $32.95.
 

Chekov's Plays
Chekhov's Plays:
An Opening into Eternity

Richard Gilman
In this eloquent and insightful book, Chekhov's full length plays are examined, showing how they relate to each other, to Chekhov's short stories, and to his life. The plays are placed in the context of Russian and European drama and the larger culture of the period and the reasons behind the enduring power of these works is explored. $29.95.

The Routledge Reader in Gender and Performance
The Routledge Reader in Gender and Performance
Lizbeth Goodman, ed.
This book presents some of the most influential and widely known work on gender and performing arts, together with exciting and provocative new writing in the field. This uniquely comprehensive volume spans the entire range of historical and theoretical approaches to the subject of gender and theatre. $35.00.

 



Cambridge Guide to Chekov
The Cambridge Companion to Chekhov
Vera Gottlieb and Paul Allain, eds.

A volume of specially commissioned essays which explores the theatrical world of Anton Chekhov, including the creation, performance and interpretation of his works. Also included are esays on Chekhov's Russia, filmed versins of his plays and acting and directing the plays. Eighteen essays with a chronology. SC $36.95.

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Exposed by the Mask
Exposed By The Mask:
Form and Language in Drama

Peter Hall.
In January of 2000, Sir Peter Hall, one of the greatest theatre,film and opera directors of our time, gave a four-part lecture series for Trinity College, Cambridge, on one of the paradoxes of theatre: form and structured language give freedom to power of thought and feeling. He likens this to the experience of using masks in Greek Drama to express extreme emotion -- by imposing limits, one can find greater freedom within the emotional language of the stage. This small book distills the wisdom of a lifetime spent in classical theatre, Shakespeare, opera and modern drama. $20.25.

Staging Femininities
Staging Femininities:
Performance and Performativity

Geraldien Harris
This book focuses on the borders between theory and practice, exploring the interconnections and the differences between feminism and postmodernism, theatrical performance and performativity, in order to analyse some of the most contemporary thought on the politics of identity. $28.95.

 

Acting Out
Acting Out:
Feminist Performances

Lynda Hart & Peggy Phelan
These original essays cover a variety of subjects including alternative theatre, the diversity of feminist aesthetic strategies, stand-up comedy and the politics of gender, lesbian sexuality, and the antifeminist, anti-abortion demonstrations of Operation Rescue. $36.95.


 

The Twentieth-Century Performance Reader
The Twentieth-Century Performance Reader
Michael Huxley and Noel Witts
Extracts from fifty practioners, critics and theorists from the fields of dance, drama, music, theatre and live art make up this essential sourcebook for students, researchers and practitioners. Each piece is fully supplemented by a contextual summary, detailed cross-references and suggestions for further reading. The Twentieth-Century Performance Reader is the key introductory text to all types of performance. Softcover, 465 pp. $44.95.

Weasels & Wisemen
Weasels & Wisemen:
Ethics and Ethnicity in the Work of David Mamet

Leslie Kane
David Mamet is considered one of the most prolific and powerful voices in contemporary American theatre. This book is the first major study of Mamet's work to investigate the moral vision and cultural poetics upon which the playwright's vision is founded. Softcover, $26.95.

 

The Theatre of Form
The Theatre of Form and the Production of Meaning
Ric Knowles
This book revolutionizes the study of contemporary Canadian drama. It's a thoughtfuland timely advance in our ways of thinking about dramaturgical form and meaning in Canadian theatrical production, and in Canadian society. $19.95.

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Theatre Under The NazisTheatre Under The Nazis
John London, editor
Many questions arise when one considers theatre in Germany during the period 1933 - 1945. How did famous directors react to the strictures of the new regime? Why were Shakespeare and Shaw among the most performed dramatists of the time? Why did the Nazis sanction Jewish theatre? This is the first book to appear in English about theatre from the entire Nazi period. Based on stastistical analysis, contemporary press reports, research in German archives and interviews with surviving playwrights, performers and musicians, this is a much needed guide to a neglected area of European culture. Softcover, Illus., 356 pp, $35.95.

Make Believe Town
Make-Believe Town:
Essays and Remembrances

David Mamet
Forceful, opinionated and always surprising, Make-Believe Town reinforces Mamet's position as one of our most original thinkers and important writers. $15.95.

 
 

 

Writing in Restaurants
Writing in Restaurants

David Mamet
Pulitzer Prize winning author David Mamet offers his insights, philosophies, and observations on life, theater, and himself. Written with passion, clarity, wit and intelligence. $16.99.

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Theatrical Companion to Coward
Theatrical Companion to Coward

Raymond Mander & Joe Mitchenson
This new edition of the detailed Noel Coward companion is updated by Coward experts Barry Day and Sheridan Morley. Includes reviews, original cast, and many other notes on all of Coward's work. Large-format hardcover, $107.95.

 



Theatre of the Ridiculous
Theater of the Ridiculous
Revised and expanded

Bonnie Marranca & Gautam Dasgupta, editors
Essays on Jack Smith, Ronald Tavel, Charles Ludlam and Kenneth Bernard. $22.50.

 

 

 

A Sourcebook of Feminist Theatre and Performance:
On and Beyond the Stage

Carol, Martin, ed.
Key articles on feminist theatre and performance. This is an exciting and stimulating book and an invaluable aid to students and practitioners of theatre and performance, as well as those interested in the performance of sexualities and genders. $38.99.


Romancing The Bard
Romancing The Bard:
Stratford At Fifty

Martin Minter
Romancing the Bard is a celebration of our foremost theatre, presented in a collection of photographs and essays about memorable productions and people in Stratford's history. A lovely book. $39.99.

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The Ends of Perfomance
The Ends of Performance
Peggy Phelan & Jill Lane, eds.
Focusing on the living arts, performance studies expands our understanding of performance as both a vital artistic practice and a means by which we understand social and cultural processes; it explores the myriad ways in which performance creates meaning and shapes our everyday lives. $32.50.




Performing History
Performing History:
Theatrical Representations of the Past in Contemporary Theatre

By Freddie Rokem
This book examines how theatre participates in the ongoing representation and debate about the past. The author concentrates in particular on how theatre after World War II has presented different aspects of the French Revolution and the Holocaust. Through this examination, Rokem reveals that by "performing history" actors bring the historical past and the theatrical present together. Hardcover, $70.95.


The Grotowski Sourcebook

The Grotowski Sourcebook
Richard Schechner and Lisa Wolford. ed.
Now in softcover, this is an invaluable resource to one of the most influential theatre practitioners of our time. This edition has a revised introduction and a new essay by Schechner on Grotowski and his legacy. Written contributions from over twenty eight directors and writers including Peter Brook, Eugenio Barba, Ferdinando Taviani and Jan Kott give a world view of Grotowski's influence. $39.95.



Performance Studies
Performance Studies:
An Introduction

By Richard Schechner
Provides a lively and accessible overview of the full range of performance for undergraduates at all levels and beginning graduate students in performance studies, theatre, performing arts, and cultural studies. Large-format softcover, $41.95.
 


The Shuberts Present
The Shuberts Present: 100 Years of American Theatre

The Shubert Archive
This lavishly illustrated book surveys the contributions made by the Shuberts to American theatre over the past century - from the magnificent buildings and their architects, to the directors, actors, and designers who created the countless productions that tell the fascinating story of 100 years of theatre in America. Large-format Hardcover, $75.00.



The Buried Astrolabe
The Buried Astrolabe:
Canadian Dramatic Imagination
and Western Tradition Book Launch
Craig Stewart Walker

Craig Stewart Walker, Associate Professor, Drama, Queen's University, The Buried Astrolabe offers a critical introduction to Canadian drama by way of six of the country's most important contemporary playwrights: James Reaney, Michael Cook, Sharon Pollock, Michel Tremblay, Judith Thompson and George F. Walker. Each chapter constitutes a study of the poetics particular to one of the playwrights, showing how a personal vision has been explored and dramatized over the course of the writer's career to date. Hardcover, $70.00; Paperback (to be published Summer 2002), $27.95.



Collaborative Theatre
Collaborative Theatre:
The Theatre du Soleil Sourcebook

David Williams, ed.
Theatre du Soleil is one of the most celebrated theater companies in Europe. This sourcebook will be of compelling interest to students of theater and performance studies, French cultural studies, as well as academics and theatre practitioners. $37.99.

 

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Last modified July 15, 2003 .
Please note that all prices are in Canadian dollars. All prices are subject to change without notice.