Theatre

Created for Theater Appreciation courses that cover both history and elements, Theater: The Lively Art, 6/e remains a comprehensive introductory theater text: an introduction to the audience's experience of theater, an investigation of the elements of theater, and a study of the important developments in the history of theater.

Updated in a new 8th edition, this book offers a balance of history and performance that brings theatre to life for readers by showing the relationship and relevance of the performing arts to their everyday lives. This book covers the full span of theatre's 2,500-year history as well as performance/production topics such as playwriting, acting, directing, and the theatre industry. This updated edition is presented in full-color for the first time.

The Creative Spirit includes five complete plays: Joe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson, And the Soul Shall Dance by Wakako Yamauchi, Angels in America by Tony Kushner, Dog Lady by Milcha Sanchez-Scott, Buried Child by Sam Shepard. Focusing on the collaborative and creative processes that go into productions, Stephanie Arnold introduces students to the theatre through engaging and accessible plays and through the playwrights who craft the play texts and the theatre practitioners who bring those texts to life on the stage. A rich context is provided for each play with a discussion of the playwright's biography and sources, timelines that provide historical and cultural background, and a case study of an actual production of the play to give students a sense of experiencing theatre from the inside. Includes new interviews with theatre professionals about their work. Offers a vibrant visual presentation with full-color photographs throughout including over fifty new photographs of many exciting new plays and revivals such as Anna in the Tropics, Cathay, Gem of the Ocean, Electricidad, 9 Parts of Desire, The Pillowman, All's Well that Ends Well, Awake and Sing, Hedda Gabler, Medea, Much Ado About Nothing, The Soldier's Tale, and The Teahouse. Features more coverage of writing about the theatre including information on the contributions of the dramaturg and the critic and a new appendix of guided writing assignments such as reviewing productions and conducting interviews. Emphasizes the diverse and vibrant roots of the theatre with expanded materials on Latino theatre as well as Chinese and Chinese-American theatre in addition to the rich presentation of diversity already in the book. Book jacket.