Reading the Material Theatre (Hardcover)

Ric Knowles

ISBN 10: 0521643317 / ISBN 13: 9780521643313

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004

About this Item

Hardcover. Reading the Material Theatre develops and demonstrates a method of theatrical performance analysis that takes into account the entire theatre experience, from production to reception. Beginning with semiotic and cultural materialist theory, Knowles quickly moves into detailed politicized analysis of the ways in which specific aspects of theatrical production, and specific contexts of reception, shape the audience's understanding of what they experience in the theatre. It concludes with five case studies of the cultural work performed by a major Shakespearean repertory theatre, a small nationalist theatre devoted to new play development, a major New York-based avant-garde touring theatre company, a British socialist company dedicated to the work of Shakespeare, and a range of international festivals. This accessible volume provides a first-step introduction to key terms and areas of performance theory, including reception history, performance analysis, and production analysis. Reading the Material Theatre, first published in 2004, demonstrates a method of theatrical performance analysis taking into account the entire theatre experience, from production to reception. It includes five case studies of the cultural work performed by repertory and touring theatre companies and by international festivals. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780521643313

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Reading the Material Theatre (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521643317
• ISBN 13: 9780521643313
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Ric Knowles develops and demonstrates a method of theatrical performance analysis involving the entire theater experience, from production to reception. Five case studies provide a first-step introduction to key terms and areas of performance theory. They include the cultural work performed by a major Shakespearean repertory theater, a small nationalist theater devoted to new play development, a major New York-based avant-garde touring theater company, and a British socialist company dedicated to the work of Shakespeare, as well as a range of international festivals.

About the Author

Ric Knowles is Professor of Drama at the School of English and Theatre Studies, University of Guelph, Ontario. He is author of Shakespeare and Canada: Essays on Production, Translation, and Adaptation. (2003) and The Theatre of Form and the Production of Meaning: Contemporary Canadian Dramaturgies (1999), editor of Theatre in Atlantic Canada (1988), and co-editor of Modern Drama: Defining the Field (2003) and Staging Coyote's Dream: An Anthology of First Nations Drama in English (2003).