Curriculum, Training Methods, And History Of A Competitive Improvisational Comedy Company (STUDIES IN THEATRE ARTS) - Hardcover

Bradshaw, Kevin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0773463178 ISBN 13: 9780773463172

Publisher: Edwin Mellen Pr, 2004

Synopsis

Brand New.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Kevin Bradshaw completed his B.A. in Radio Television Broadcasting and M.A. in Theatre Arts at San Jose State University, San Jose. He completed his PhD at the University of Oregon, Eugene in 1997. He has been associated with ComedySportz since 1989 and is a founding member of the Spokane, Washington ComedySportz team. He is currently serving as Vice-Chair for playwriting (Region VII) for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Theatre in the Communication Arts Department at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

Review

"While the results of this study would assist students of improvisation performance and potential company founders, Bradshaw also offers a close, systematic examination of the educational components that would transfer effectively to a wide range of training contexts. This beautifully realized piece of work could provide a basis to others directly related it, such as an examination of all the member companies in the Comedy League or to other ComedySportz training models, such as intermediate and advanced workshops. More importantly, it provides invaluable access to research models for the much wider field of improvisation as a whole." - (From the Commendatory Preface) Professor Robert Barton, University of Oregon "Kevin Bradshaw's impressive study... offers a clear, systematic examination of ComedySportz that will prove an invaluable resource for others in the field. Because this particular theatre company is not limited geographically to its Milwaukee origins but has expanded to more than twenty branch companies around the United States, constituting the Comedy League of America, and hundreds of high school programs, its influence is far reaching. The value in tracing specific origins and structure at a time when such a study is still manageable can provide a strong base for any future investigations into ComedySportz itself and serve as a model for other studies of other companies. Bradshaw brings to this comprehensive study not just the skills of a researcher, but experience as a veteran participant as well. While some research might suffer from an involved investigator, in this case such exposure is essential since the researcher must speak the language of participants and must understand enough about the organization's infrastructure to know how to shape the overall inquiry and design specific questions. Some of the interview subjects are not readily articulate or analytical, so Bradshaw skillfully and respectfully guides their participation, with both humility and authority" - (From the Commendatory Preface) Professor Robert Barton, University of Oregon"

Edition details

• Publisher: Edwin Mellen Pr
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0773463178
• ISBN 13: 9780773463172
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 167