Theatre History Books
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The rich history of the
Commedia dell'Arte as portrayed through a range of visual art forms.
Covers an in-depth background of the
performances, antics and lifestyles of the commedia. The
figures of the Commedia dell'arte have surfaced in artworks over the
last 400 years - many of the characters have become icons and been translated across
cultures - this work
Its curiosity value alone makes it a worthwhile purchase. Many facets of this traditional comic form are considered in this text. This is truly a classic text it has remained in print for over thirty years - that alone is testament to the fact that it is regarded as a very valuable resource.
An excellent text on the Commedia dell'Arte. Covers all the major characters, the history and performance styles. It also contains detailed instructions on making a traditional leather mask. |
German
Expressionist Theatre: The Actor and the Stage by David F.
Kuhns
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A recent release from Cambridge University Press.
German Expressionist Theatre and Performance in Weimar considers the powerfully stylised,
anti-realistic styles of symbolic acting on the German Expressionist stage from 1916 to 1921.
It relates this striking departure from the dominant European acting tradition of realism to
the specific cultural crises that enveloped the German nation during the course of its involvement in World War I. The examination of previously untranslated portions of Expressionist script and actor memoirs allows for an unprecedented focus on description and analysis of the acting itself.
The
Theatre of Yesterday and Tomorrow :
Commedia
dell'Arte on the Modern Stage
by James Fisher
A book for the true aficionado or serious scholar - An exceptional
book on the subject
The
Relationship of Oral and Literate Performance Processes in the Commedia
dell'Arte :
Beyond
the Improvisation/Memorisation Divide
by Tim Fitzpatrick
An impressive and scholarly text that should be owned by any aficionado of the form.
Covering the processes involved in the form and including several excerpts and variations of original routines. (Pricey!)
Scenarios
of the Commedia Dell'Arte :
Flaminio
Scala's Il Teatro Delle Favole Rappresentative
by Flaminio Scala, Henry F. Salerno (Editor), Kenneth McKee
This is a reprint of the first folio of scenarios ever published.
Ancient
Sun, Modern Light : Greek Drama on the Modern Stage
by Marianne McDonald
The Triumph of Pierrot : The Commedia dell'Arte and the Modern Imagination
- by Martin Burgess Green and John C. Swan
A very good book that explores Commedia from it's Italian origins to it's varied modern incarnations.
The Triumph of Pierrot : The Commedia dell'Arte and the Modern Imagination
- by Martin Burgess Green and John C. Swan
A very good book that explores Commedia from it's Italian origins to it's varied modern incarnations.
Lazzi : The Comic Routines of the Commedia dell'Arte
"Lazzi" - a collection of the routines used by the Commedia troupes of old - this book provides opportunities to explore what was or to create your own contemporary versions based on originals.
The
Three Cuckolds (Commedia in Performance)
by Leon Katz
Pierrot
in Petrograd : The Commedia Dell'Arte/Balagan in Twentieth-Century
Russian Theatre and Drama
by J. Douglas Clayton
Playing
Commedia
by Barry Grantham
"Grantham offers a
thorough and very practical approach and while the focus is on commedia
the principles and techniques he addresses serve as an ideal
introduction to mask work generally. I'd say that this book more than many others is essential reading. It
has manual status. Check it out."
Dave Riley (Mask and Puppet List) 
The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy
- by P.E. Easterling (Editor)
Over 400 pages of relevant scholarly material on the origins of Western theatre.
Looking at ancient Greek tragedy in the context of late-20th-century reading, criticism and performance, seven distinguished scholars examine tragedy as an institution in the civic life of ancient Athens; a range of approaches to the surviving plays; and changing patterns of reception, adaptation, and performance, from antiquity to the present.
Stages
of Drama : Classical to Contemporary Theater
by Carl H. Klaus (Editor), Miriam Gilbert, Bradford S. Field
Booknews, Inc. ,
September 1, 1995
Presents some 40 plays from the classical Greek period to the
present, including the work of 26 playwrights from 12 countries, by
authors such as Sophocles, Shakespeare, Ntozake Shange, and David
Henry Hwang. A general introduction discusses reading and witnessing a
play, while section introductions provide an overview of each period
of drama and discuss issues related to understanding and staging the
plays. Contains b&w photos, and critical reviews of each play,
plus a list of film and video productions of the plays. No index.
Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Dionysus
Writes : The Invention of Theatre in Ancient Greece
by Jennifer Wise
Images
of the Greek Theatre (Classical Bookshelf)
by J. R. Green, Eric Handley (Contributor), Richard Green, British
Museum
A
Short Introduction to the Ancient Greek Theater
by Graham Ley
Ten
Greek Plays in Contemporary Translations
by Levy Lind, Levi R. Lind (Editor)
Greek
and Roman Theatre
by Don Nardo
A Theatre History text looking at the origins of Western Theatre.
Oedipus
at Thebes : Sophocles' Tragic Hero and His Time
by Bernard MacGregor Walker Knox, Berbard Knox
In this widely praised book, an eminent classicist examines Sophocles` Oedipus Tyrannus in the context of fifth-century B.C. Athens. In attempting to discover what the play meant to Sophocles` contemporaries--and in particular in disentangling Sophocles` ideas from Freud`s psychoanalytical interpretations--Bernard Knox casts fresh light on its timeless and universal nature. For this edition, Knox has provided a new preface and a list of suggested readings.
Ancient
Sun, Modern Light : Greek Drama on the Modern Stage
by Marianne McDonald
The influence of tragedy on classic comedy is evident in the increasing preoccupation with subjects that are utopian or timeless (while) the traditional satire on contemporary events and personages recedes more and more onto the background"-Introduction
The National Stage: Theatre and Cultural Legitimation in England, France, and Americaby Loren Kruger
A big global picture of the state and place of theatre in three nations. This academic exploration discusses the various social, political and cultural roles that theatre has played in the US and Europe.
The
Making of Modern Drama
by Richard Gilman
This highly acclaimed critical exploration of modern drama begins with Buchner and Ibsen and then discusses the major playwrights who have shaped modern theater-Strinberg, Chekhov, Pirandello, Brecht, Beckett, and Handke. A new introduction by the author assesses developments of recent years.
The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre by Phyllis Hartnoll
A concise guide to theatre in the familiar dictionary format. An impressive volume and a useful starting point for any investigation into theatre.
What Is Theatre? : An Introduction and Exploration by John Russell Brown
A fairly comprehensive introduction to theatre, including discussion of the roles of various practitioners and the audience. Well worth a look.
History
of the Theatre
by Oscar G. Brockett
An amazing text. If not definitive, certainly very close to it. At over 700 pages, this text covers the development of theatre from its origins to the 1990's.
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- Other titles by Brockett:
by Annabelle Henkin Melzer
Seven
Famous Greek Plays
by Whitney Jennings Oates (Editor), Eugene O'Neill (Editor)