History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Beware false idols.
dry, but good
Yes, Oscar Brockett is God
An Excellent and Thorough Text Under Great Editorship
Oscar Brockett is God.

History of the Theatre
Oscar G. Brockett , and Franklin J. Hildy
Manufacturer: Allyn & Bacon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The Bedford Introduction to Drama
The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama, Brief Edition
A Source Book in Theatrical History: Twenty-five centuries of stage history in more than 300 basic documents and other primary material
Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scene Design and Construction, Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup
Theatre/Theory/Theatre: The Major Critical Texts from Aristotle and Zeami to Soyinka and Havel

ASIN: 0205358780

Book Description

The Ninth Edition retains all of the traditional features that have made History of the Theatre a classic for over thirty years, including over 530 photos and illustrations, useful maps, and the expertise of Oscar Brockett, one of the most widely respected theatre historians in the field. Franklin J. Hildy contributes his scholarship and experience throughout the book and, in particular, to a discussion of English Theatre/Shakespeare (Ch. 5). Reorganized with more uniform chapter lengths and a clearer chronology, the ninth edition continues to provide the most thorough and accurate assessment of theatre history available. For anyone involved with, or interested in, the theatre.

Customer Reviews:

Beware false idols........2007-05-06

Some theatre students and teachers take this book for a theatre history bible of sorts. Unfortunately, this results in readers switching off their critical thinking skills and accepting Dr. Brockett's values and opinions as facts. The scholar makes history and Brockett's history privileges debated concepts such as ritual-origin theory and drastically undervalues accomplishments of othered groups such as 17th century English actresses. (They get a whopping two sentences!) While this book is good for pedestrian and generalized descriptions of major figures and events (from a 20th century perspective), it is far from exhaustive. Alternative historical theories are not given much thought and the author presents opinion and theory as empirical fact regularly throughout the text.
God is dead.

dry, but good.......2001-11-06

Having taken a course that required reading the book I can safely say that it is dry in some sections of history due to the "PC" nature of it's telling. But it's mostly an interesting resource and reference book for theatre buffs and history buffs alike.

Yes, Oscar Brockett is God.......2000-02-19

I had the pleasure of being Brock's student for three years at the University of Texas. The book is phenomenal, easy to read and amazingly complete. The History of the Theatre experience should also be augmented by the opportunity to hear Brockett speak. He is erudite, funny, a lively teacher and an incredible intellect. There is no other book to serve as a reference and introduction to theatre history. No other book and no other teacher so expertly and informatively makes you realize the interweaving of theatre and society throughout its long history. IMHO, Brockett should write the history not just of theatre but of everything. His non-didactic, straight-forward and lively prose would make any work of history or criticism on any subject a delight.

An Excellent and Thorough Text Under Great Editorship.......2000-01-25

As a former student of Franklin J. Hildy's, and a reader of the Brockett text for several theater courses, I must highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a detailed, yet expansive, overview of the history of the theatrical arts throughout the world. Dr. Hildy's passion for and knowledge of the subject matter is rivaled by none and the complete scope of this project would have daunted many editors less competent to undertake such a task. A great reference text as well as course material. I often find mine useful in day-to-day queries as well as research on period and scenic styles.

Oscar Brockett is God........1999-09-17

No other theatrical historian today commands the respect and authority that Oscar Brockett receives, and "The History of the Theatre" is his master work. As complete a guide to theatre history as any on the market, this book abounds with illustrations, maps, and helpful details. When you want ideas about theatre history, find an article. When you want facts and answers, consult the Brockett. A "must have" for any true scholar of the theatre.

Poor Dancer's Almanac: Managing Life & Work in the Performing Arts

Average customer rating:

A very good resource for dancers

Poor Dancer's Almanac: Managing Life & Work in the Performing Arts

Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music
Dance: The Art of Production
Dance Anecdotes: Stories from the Worlds of Ballet, Broadway, the Ballroom, and Modern Dance
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Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scene Design and Construction, Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup

ASIN: 0822313057

Book Description

Combining how-to information with voices of working artists, Poor Dancer's Almanac is an essential resource tool and source of inspiration for all independent artistsâchoreographers, performance artists, dancers producers, managers. Created in 1975 and revised again in 1984 this handbook has come to serve as one of the most crucial references for the arts community. In the most up-to-date and comprehensive edition yet, a broad range of issues affecting performers and producers is addressed, interwoven with newly added, more personal contributions from major figures in the performance world.
Organized and compiled by Dance Theater Workshop in New York and authored by more than fifty leading professionals in the field, Poor Dancer's Almanac offers in-depth discussions of everything from personal livelihood to professional career development, from medical care, housing, and unemployment insurance to management, touring, and legal issues. Each chapter is followed by an appendix containing extensive and varied listings, giving names and addresses for finding internship programs, videotaping, flooring, grant-writing, and reference publications. Although centered on New York the Almanac includes lists of resources and contacts for many other statesâCalifornia, Washington D.C, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas, Florida, and Ohio. An entirely new section has been added dealing with health issues and the crisis of AIDS.
In personal anecdotes and essays various performers offer their own insights and storiesâboth of struggles and of successesâto bring to life the practical realities of working in the arts. We hear from Merce Cunningham, Eric Bogosian, Karen Finley, Paul Zaloom, and Bill T. Jones, among others. Illustrated with original drawings by Janie Geiser, this thoroughly revised and updated edition of the Poor Dancer's Almanac will continue to serve as one of the leading sources for those concerned with managing life and work in the performing arts.

Selected contents
The Financial Realities of Performance Art
From Studio to Stage
Promoting Your Performance
What is Management?
Budgeting
Funding
AIDS Explained
Action Medical Insurance for the Arts
Psychological Issues for the Dancer

Customer Reviews:

A very good resource for dancers.......1999-09-08

This book should be required reading for aspiring dancers, particularly those who lack the administrative know-how to manage money, funding, etcetera. It teaches you everything they neglected to tell you in dance class. Makes a great gift!

Dumbstruck: A Cultural History of Ventriloquism

Average customer rating:

How can this volume possibly sell for $96.00?
HUH?
cultural ventriloquism suddenly verrrry interesting

Dumbstruck: A Cultural History of Ventriloquism
Steven Connor
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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A Voice and Nothing More (Short Circuits)
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ASIN: 0198184336

Book Description

Why can none of us hear our own recorded voice without wincing? Why is the telephone still full of such spookiness and erotic possibility? Why does the metaphor of ventriloquism, the art of 'seeming to speak where one is not', speak so resonantly to our contemporary technological condition? These are the kind of questions which impel Steven Connor's wide-ranging, restlessly inquisitive history of ventriloquism and the disembodied voice. He tracks his subject from its first recorded beginnings in ancient Israel and Greece, through the fulminations of early Christian writers against the unholy (and, they believed, obscenely produced) practices of pagan divination, the aberrations of the voice in mysticism, witchcraft and possession, and the strange obsession with the vagrant figure of the ventriloquist, newly conceived as male rather than female, during the Enlightenment. He retrieves the stories of some of the most popular and versatile ventriloquists and polyphonists of the nineteenth century, and investigates the survival of ventriloquial delusions and desires in spiritualism and the 'vocalic uncanny' of technologies like telephone, radio, film, and internet. Learned but lucid, brimming with anecdote and insight, this is much more than an archaeology of one of the most regularly derided but tenaciously enduring of popular arts. It is also a series of virtuoso philosophical and psychological reflections on the problems and astonishments, the raptures and absurdities of the unhoused voice.

Customer Reviews:

How can this volume possibly sell for $96.00?.......2006-07-10

Does it come with a ventriloquist dummy... AND a ventriloquist?

HUH?.......2005-07-07

This book is an example of psuedo-intellectual overthinking of the highest order. It's dense, wordy and unreadable in every way. Why would any writer spend what appears to be LOTS of time and energy on this of all subjects: Ventriloquism's effect on CULTURE?!

The resultant product amounts to little more than an uninteresting mess.

Skip it.

cultural ventriloquism suddenly verrrry interesting.......2004-10-11

I enjoyed this text, recommended by a colleague, for other reasons, but thought of it immediately when the possibility of George W. Bush's use of a wire and "ear" during the first debate with John Kerry began to surface on the internet in the last day or so. Talk about the "vocalic uncanny"! Is "wiregate" merely(!) a part of the trend of increasing technological possibilities for problematizing the relation between voice and body?
Are you talking to me?
Is this thing on?
Steven Connor should write the next chapter. Meanwhile, read his deft connections and analysis of diverse phenomena associated with "cultural ventriloquism" and think about the (allleged) voice in our president's ear, and what that does to the (alleged) significance of his speech as he (allegedly) addresses the citizenry.
Is ventriloquism more acceptable if we are in on the trick?
Are we in on this (alleged) trick, anyway? I mean, we all know how packaged and predicted and rehearsed the responses to the questions posed in the debates are anyway--but a line has been (allegedly) crossed here, and that's the line Connor's book charts. Good stuff, and timely.

Impro for Storytellers (Theatre Arts (Routledge Paperback))

Average customer rating:

Best Improv Guide Around
What I've been waiting for!
Impro for Storytellers
Incredibly Useful
Essential Improv Reading!

Impro for Storytellers (Theatre Arts (Routledge Paperback))
Keith Johnstone
Manufacturer: Theatre Arts Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Acting on Impulse: The Art of Making Improv Theater

ASIN: 0878301054

Book Description

Impro for Storytellers is the follow-up to Keith Johnstone's classic Impro, one of the best-selling books ever published on improvisation. In this book, Johnstone takes a further decade of experience as a teacher and coach and explores how an individual's potential can be released in group settings.
"Be more boring!" he might yell to a student striving to be original.
"Be more obvious!" he could advise a clever performer.
These are unorthodox techniques, but ones that are part of the games that have made Johnstone's work uniquely effective in the theatre community. Beyond its strictly theatrical applications, Impro for Storytellers aims to take jealous and self-obsessed beginners and teach them to play games with good nature and to fail gracefully.
If you've ever been clumsy and awkward, this book will improve your interpersonal skills and encourage a life-long study of human interaction.

Customer Reviews:

Best Improv Guide Around.......2007-09-09

If you're going to read only one book about improvisation, read this. If you read two books, wait a month or two and read this again. I've been part of a professional improv performance group for the last five years and every time I read this book it fills me with new levels of information and wisdom.

Many people never discover this book because they read Johnstone's first book, Impro, and find it difficult to apply as well as not very relevant once it delves into the eccentric world of mask work. Impro for Storytellers is highly relevant, contains many games, exercises, and suggestions to try, and is a highly entertaining read. I recommend reading this first and reading Impro later if you enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed it over and over again.

What I've been waiting for!.......2007-06-01

I've used Keith's Impro for several years, and this book is just what I've been looking for! It gives the kind of details I've been for to use in my classes and performances.

Impro for Storytellers.......2007-05-12

I am not yet received my stuff and I am waiting for

Incredibly Useful.......2006-09-06

This is quite a large book, pretty much entirely made up of a wide variety of games for actors with vivid examples of what students come up with under pressure, and thorough explanations of the goal of each excercise. It's extremely well written and just as good as something to sit down and read, as something to get up and play with.

The games range from easy to very hard; many would make excellent fun warm-ups to introduce non-actors to basic acting theory and to interacting with an audience. What makes this book unusual for an acting text is the emphasis on story, and the highly audience-centric approach to performance.

I would seriously recommend this book to writers, screenwriters, and story artists. The ultimate goal for Johnstone is to teach his improvisers to hook the audience and keep them hooked by altering tactics, reversing, raising the stakes, setting up expectations. Throughout, his unexpected cry of "Be obvious! Don't be creative!" keeps the story being invented on an engaging emotional level.

I bought this because I'm teaching a class involving some acting, but found so many exciting ideas for plotting I want to send a copy to everyone I know in story. First rate.

Essential Improv Reading!.......2004-01-10

I thought that Keith Johnstone's first book "Impro" was the best book on Improv -- until I read this. Impro For Storytellers is chock full of imaginative games that will make any improv workshop (or communications training) sparkle with creative fun and learning by taking the pressure off of being creative.

If you want the best collection of improv games since Spolins "Improvisation for the Theatre", this is it. Johnstone paces the book with wonderful stories of how the games have been used under all sorts of circumstances, with a brilliant and dry sense of wit. If you are interested in improv, please read this book!

All That Glittered: The Golden Age of Drama on Broadway, 1919-1959
Average customer rating:

Mordden Does It Again

A fascinating retrospective on the role of Broadway in American culture

Play Time

All That Glittered: The Golden Age of Drama on Broadway, 1919-1959
Ethan Mordden
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Broadway & Musicals | Theater | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312338988
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Book Description

From the late 1920s to late 1950s, the Broadway theatre was America's cultural epicenter. Television didn't exist and movies were novelties. Entertainment took the form of literature, music, and theatre. During this golden age of Broadway, actors and actresses became legends and starred in now classic plays. Laurence Olivier, Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontaine were names to remember, etching plays into memory as they brought the words of Tennessee Williams or Eugene O’Neill to life. Joseph Cotton romanced Katherine Hepburn in Philip Barry's The Philadelphia Story while Laurette Taylor became The Glass Menagerie’s Amanda Wingfield. Frederic March, Florence Eldridge, Jason Robards Jr. and Bradford Dillman showed us life among the ruins in Long Day's Journey Into Night. In All That Glittered, Ethan Mordden, long one of Broadway's best chroniclers, recreates the fascinating lost world of its golden age.

Customer Reviews:

Mordden Does It Again.......2007-09-30

Ethan Mordden has written many books on the topic of Broadway, although generally they have been about the musical stage. This time he writes about plays, (mostly) without music, and rather arbitrarily defines, perhaps for purposes of symmetry, its golden age as the period between 1919 and 1959 (although he can't help himself and goes on into the 1960s a bit). As usual one is amazed at his encyclopedic knowledge of Broadway history; one can imagine him spending weeks and months, perhaps even years, in dusty libraries reading all those old copies of Variety, Playbill and the New York newspapers. His all-but-copyrighted bitchiness is much in evidence and gave me more than a few chuckles. His penchant for pointing who was gay among the actors, authors and directors, and for finding gay themes where they aren't obvious, is prominent.

He chronicles the Broadway spoken play by decade and finds something characteristic about each period. I found his writing, always sparkling, becomes more so when he gets to the 1940s and beyond, perhaps because those plays and the people who made them are within living memory for many people. Clearly Mordden (who is right at sixty, although his glamorous never-changing dustjacket picture hasn't changed in at least two decades) has had personal contact with many of the people mentioned in those latter years and he has some tales to tell.

Included are some pretty obscure plays and we are all the more informed for that. He writes much about the important actors, writers, producers and directors and we pick up a lot of theater lore as a result. His writing style is dense with fact and sometimes hermetic but it always dances along. I had difficulty putting the book down.

Another valuable book by Mordden, possibly primarily for specialists but assimilable by the casual reader with even a modicum of interest in the subject.

Scott Morrison

A fascinating retrospective on the role of Broadway in American culture.......2007-06-25

I love theatre history, but Mordden is such a fine writer that I will read his "History of Plumbing" should he write one.

Unlike his essential seven-volume chronicle of the musical, this is not a show-by-show description. Instead, Mordden takes a thematic approach, insightfully linking the development of the Broadway play to broader cultural developments. The shift from rural to urban humor, the relationship between Broadway and Hollywood, and the role of theatre as educator to the unsophisticated are among his compelling through-lines. Despite my unfamiliarity with most of the titles referenced, this is a great read.

Play Time.......2007-04-06

Ethan Mordden is probably best known for three things: the impossibility of remembering how to spell his last name; the width and depth of his subject matter; and his encyclopedic knowledge of musical theater. To all this, we can now add a fourth; an almost equally deep knowledge of "straight" (in the theatrical sense) drama. While it is arguable as to whether the golden age began in 1919 and ended in 1959, Mordden's treatment of this span is as exciting and insightful as any of his other critical studies and that, as his readers know, is saying a lot! (Aside to Mr. Mordden: The title "Beggar on Horseback" may be more closely related to the saying, "If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride."... just a thought). Oh, and the only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is to have somewhere to go for the next time.

Average customer rating:

Living Theatre: A History
An excellent resource for any person studying theater.
very informative

Living Theatre: A History
Edwin Wilson , and Alvin Goldfarb
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama, Brief Edition
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Anthology of Living Theater
The Longman Anthology of Drama and Theater: A Global Perspective
Stages of Drama: Classical to Contemporary Theater

ASIN: 0072562579

Book Description

Living Theater: A History conveys the excitement and variety of theater throughout time and the dynamic way in which our interpretation of theater history is informed by contemporary scholarship. Rather than presenting readers with a mere catalog of historical facts and figures, Wilson and Goldfarb set each period in context through an exploration of the social, political and economic conditions of the day, and create a vivid study of the developments in theater during that time. Changes to the third edition include the addition of new biographies of key players in the dramatic world, expanded existing biographies, and a completely revised chapter on early Asian theater.

Customer Reviews:

Living Theatre: A History.......2007-02-19

Just what the professor ordered! My son is quite pleased with this purchase. He needed the text for his theatre class in college. Thanks for the speedy delivery.

An excellent resource for any person studying theater........2004-04-21

This is a [must have] for anyone who desires to study theater outside of high school and into college. Throughout my studies in college, I constantly referred back to this piece for references. It is an expensive book, but trust me. You will get your money's worth out of this one.

very informative.......2000-03-29

This has been the only textbook I have enjoyed in 4 years of university. Great pics. Very well done.

The Longman Anthology of Drama and Theater: A Global Perspective, Compact Edition

Average customer rating:

An Important, Useful Anthology
A Milestone in Drama Anthologies

The Longman Anthology of Drama and Theater: A Global Perspective, Compact Edition
Michael L. Greenwald , Roger Schultz , and Roberto Dario Pomo
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Longman Anthology of Drama and Theater: A Global Perspective
History of the Theatre
The Recognition of Sakuntala (Thrift Edition)

ASIN: 0321088980

Book Description

Divided into three parts, this brief, chronologically-organized, fully-integrated drama anthology offers a global emphasis and extensive critical and historical material of 23 indispensable plays. No other anthology offers such a richly varied selection from the traditional Western canon, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. This anthology contains many examples of rituals, ceremonies, and folk customs. The role of the storyteller is examined and chronicled to illustrate the impulses that have prompted humans to create theater. Center Stage Essays present dramatic descriptions of special performances, in many cases, the first performance of a well-known play. Spotlight Essays identify and discuss the wide variety of staging conventions of particular theaters. Forum Essays present important critical documents by critics, theoreticians, and theater artists. Lavish maps and annotated timelines familiarize the reader with different cultures and periods. Each play is introduced by a thorough headnote; each includes in-depth biographical information about the playwright and the historical context of the play. Photographs and illustrations help the reader visualize the performance of the play they are reading. For anyone interested in drama and theater.

Customer Reviews:

An Important, Useful Anthology.......2002-01-16

I'm very pleased with this anthology partly because of its international scope, but also because it provides useful theoretical documents that augment and support the plays the authors have chosen. The introductions to each period and country are detailed, interesting, and easy to read.

The students in my undergraduate theatre history course have almost unanimously agreed to keep this text as part of their permanent collection--a rare reaction indeed! The choice of plays was excellent, combining some wonderful translations of important Western European texts with interesting, hard-to-find world theatre classics.

I highly recommend it as a teaching resource--particularly for theatre history, world drama, and intro to theatre courses. Your students will thank you (and they'll keep this one!).

A Milestone in Drama Anthologies.......2001-12-05

American theatre has been slower than any of the other arts to recognize the need to pay attention to what's going on outside the United States and Europe. Most introductory theatre texts make only passing mention of the theatres of Asia, Africa and South America. Anthologies of drama published in the States have likewise generally failed to address the dramatic literature of these regions. Consequently, most Americans, including theatre students, are woefully ignorant of the rich theatrical traditions of two thirds of the world's people.

In the context of this vast blindness, the Longman Anthology of World Drama is a milestone work. It includes both traditional and modern plays from China, India and Japan (integrated into the historical sequence rather than tagged on as appendices.) It treats of African theatre in connection with African-American diaspora theatre. It represents Latin and South American theatre with interesting works from the 16th century to modern Hispanic absurdism. On top of this remarkable diversity, it provides a very solid foundation in the traditional Western canon, with a particularly good sequence tracing the rise of modern realism out of romanticism.

There is an enormous amount of material in this tome, and much to commend. The only serious shortcomings are a sparseness and lack of clarity in the historical background articles (these will confuse students with no framework to build on), and some poor choices in excerpts of supporting criticism (the Victor Turner article will go completely over the heads of the uninitiated, and the excerpt by Zeami is a dull genealogy of the ritual roots of Noh theatre rather than any of the more interesting bits on the art of the performer.)

Theatre/Theory: An Introduction - 2nd Edition
Average customer rating:

Excellent, invaluable guide to theater and theory

Excellent summary of major theories

Theatre/Theory: An Introduction - 2nd Edition
Mark Fortier
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Theater | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
History & Criticism | Theater | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Stagecraft | Theater | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

Theories of the Theatre: A Historical and Critical Survey, from the Greeks to the Present

Theatre/Theory/Theatre: The Major Critical Texts from Aristotle and Zeami to Soyinka and Havel

Performance: A Critical Introduction

Professing Performance: Theatre in the Academy from Philology to Performativity (Theatre and Performance Theory)

Performance Analysis: An Introductory Coursebook

ASIN: 041525437X

Book Description

This is a new and enlarged edition of Mark Fortier's very successful and widely used essential text for students. Theory/Theatre provides a unique and engaging introduction to literary theory as it relates to theatre and performance. Fortier lucidly examines current theoretical approaches, from semiotics, postructuralism, through cultural materialism, postcolonial studies and feminist theory. Theory/Theatre is still the only study of its kind and is invaluable reading for beginning students and scholars of performance studies.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent, invaluable guide to theater and theory.......2000-07-15

*Theory/Theatre* is a remarkable pocket-sized guide to the major contemporary trends in critical theory and their relationships to performance and performance studies. Fortier's prose is lucid and eloquent. He handles difficult concepts with succinct yet not simplistic essays that tie the theoretical concepts to instances of performance. I have used the book with undergraduates, and it has helped them make sense of the intellectual histories, differences and applications of, for instance, psychoanalytic criticism, post-structuralism, feminism, reception theory, etc. Fortier's concluding essay on the uses of theory is both skeptical and inspired by theory, and gorgeously written. Such a pleasure to work with an interpetive text that is truly knowing of its subjects without seeking to outdistance or subdue them!

Excellent summary of major theories.......1998-11-22

Fortier's book is a wonderful summary of the major theories concerning theater and performance. He presents a familiarity with everyone from Freud and Hegel to current leading theorists. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in critical theory of theater, especially for students. Fortier's style is engaging and easy to read.

Chicano Drama: Performance, Society and Myth (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama)

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Chicano Drama: Performance, Society and Myth (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama)
Jorge Huerta
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

History | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

El Teatro Campesino: Theater in the Chicano Movement
Necessary Theater: Six Plays About the Chicano Experience
Zoot Suit and Other Plays
Puro Teatro: A Latina Anthology
Luis Valdez Early Works: Actos, Bernabe and Pensamiento Serpentino

ASIN: 0521771196

Book Description

Huerta takes as his starting point 1979, the year Luís Valdez's play, Zoot Suit, was produced on Broadway. Huerta looks at plays by and about Chicanas and Chicanos, as they explore through performance, the community and its identity caught between the United States and Mexico. Through informative biographies of each playwright and analyses of their plays, Huerta offers an accessible introduction to this important aspect of American theater and culture. The book contains photographs from key productions and will be invaluable to students, scholars and general theatergoers.

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