Table Of Content

Cover page Page: i Halftitle page Page: i Series page Page: ii Title page Page: viii Copyright page Page: x Contents Page: xi List of illustrations Page: xii Chapter 1: What is theatre? Page: 1 Imitation Page: 1 The boundaries of theatre Page: 3 Classical Greece and Rome Page: 4 Classical India Page: 7 Classical China Page: 9 Medieval Japan Page: 12 Medieval Europe Page: 12 Renaissance theatre in Italy Page: 14 16th century Europe Page: 15 17th century Japan and Europe Page: 19 18th century Europe Page: 20 19th century Europe and Asia Page: 21 The 20th century Page: 23 Theatre and life Page: 24 Chapter 2: Religion and theatre Page: 27 Early Christianity and the theatre Page: 28 Early Jewish and Islamic theatre Page: 30 Early Hindu and Buddhist theatre Page: 32 Buddhist theatre in China and Japan Page: 34 The tradition of religious theatre in Spain and Portugal Page: 37 Religious theatre and colonialism Page: 39 Baroque religious theatre in Europe Page: 42 Religious theatre in the 18th century Page: 44 Religious theatre and post-colonialism Page: 46 Religious theatre in the 20th century Page: 46 Chapter 3: Theatre and drama Page: 53 Improvisation Page: 53 Commedia dell’arte Page: 54 Oral traditions Page: 56 Early non-European dramatic texts Page: 59 Early Western dramatic texts Page: 62 The regulation of texts Page: 63 Textual dominance Page: 65 Challenges to the text Page: 67 Drama and theatre in the university Page: 69 Postdramatic theatre Page: 71 Chapter 4: Theatre and performance Page: 74 Performance and the art world Page: 75 The term ‘performance’ in the English theatre tradition Page: 77 The ‘performative turn’ in the social sciences Page: 78 Speech–act theory Page: 80 Richard Schechner and TDR Page: 83 The spread of performance studies Page: 86 Theatre and performance studies Page: 88 International performance Page: 92 Chapter 5: The makers of theatre Page: 96 The actor Page: 96 The puppet Page: 102 The designer Page: 105 The director Page: 108 The audience Page: 111 Further reading Page: 116 Index Page: 122 Very Short Introductions Page: 132 Social media Page: 137 Online Catalogue Page: 138

Description:

From before history was recorded to the present day, theatre has been a major artistic form around the world. From puppetry to mimes and street theatre, this complex art has utilized all other art forms such as dance, literature, music, painting, sculpture, and architecture. Every aspect of human activity and human culture can be, and has been, incorporated into the creation of theatre. In this Very Short Introduction Marvin Carlson takes us through Ancient Greece and Rome, to Medieval Japan and Europe, to America and beyond, and looks at how the various forms of theatre have been interpreted and enjoyed. Exploring the role that theatre artists play — from the actor and director to the designer and puppet-master, as well as the audience — this is an engaging exploration of what theatre has meant, and still means, to people of all ages at all times. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.