The Essential Theatre - Softcover

Brockett, Oscar G.; Ball, Robert J.

3.64

91 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0155072293 ISBN 13: 9780155072299

Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing, 1999

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This introductory text acquaints students with the theatre-its artistic and social functions, its development, and how each of the theatre arts functions as a unit. In the thirty-five years since it was first published, THE ESSENTIAL THEATRE has established a reputation as one of the most comprehensive, authoritative surveys of the theatre in academia. THE ESSENTIAL THEATRE works in tandem with its companion anthology, PLAYS FOR THE THEATRE (7/e), edited by Oscar G. Brockett with Robert Ball. The scripts in PLAYS serve as the foundation for discussion of the various types of theatrical experience explored in THE ESSENTIAL THEATRE.

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About the Author:

Oscar G. Brockett will always have an international reputation as a theatre historian. A Distinguished Scholar honoree of the American Society of Theatre Research, he received career achievement awards from both the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology. In addition, he was a recipient of the Robert Lewis Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre Research. After receiving his Ph.D. from Stanford University, he taught at several major American universities and at the University of Bristol in England. He also served as president of the American Theatre Association, dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas, editor of THEATRE JOURNAL, and editorial board member of the ASIAN THEATRE JOURNAL. He held the prestigious University of Texas Z.T. Scott Family Chair in Drama and was director of the Center for Dramatic and Performance Studies for several years. Dr. Brockett authored many articles in leading journals and several books, including HISTORY OF THE THEATRE. At the time of his passing, he was serving as a distinguished teaching professor at the University of Texas at Austin and the dean of the Fellows of the American Theatre.

Review:

"THE ESSENTIAL THEATRE provided a far more comprehensive survey of theatre history as well as a precise review of the major artists in theatre production. (The text) does a wonderful job of applying historical precedents to current practice."

"The Theatre Experience is thorough, complete, well-illustrated, and gives the reader the sense that the discipline has substance. I am well satisfied with it and have not found a comparable text to date."

"I find that this is the only current text that adequately covers the basic principles, players, performance traditions, and plays at this level."

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