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| Preface | |
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| The Nature of Theatre | |
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| The Impulse to Perform | |
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| Personal Performance | |
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| Community Performance | |
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| Ritual Performance among the Hopi | |
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| Kachina Performances | |
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| The Hopi Performer | |
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| Performance as Community Obligation | |
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| Professional Performance: Four Stories | |
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| Bill Irwin: Physical Humor | |
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| Anna Deavere Smith: The Power of Words | |
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| Neil Marcus: Storyteller and Dancer | |
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| Frances McDormand: Creation of Character | |
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| Why They Perform | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Theatre and Society | |
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| The Power of the Theatre | |
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| Society and Aesthetic Expression | |
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| The Collective and Public Nature of Theatre | |
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| Theatre as a Social Force | |
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| Theatre and Religious Festivals | |
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| The Greek Theatre: Athens, Fifth Century B.C.E. | |
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| The Origin of Greek Theatre in the Worship of Dionysus | |
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| Medea | |
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| Staging Conventions | |
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| The Medieval Mystery Cycle | |
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| Staging and Production: A Community Endeavor | |
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| Aesthetic Expression: A Shared, Sacred Language | |
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| The Role of the Mystery Cycles in Medieval Society | |
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| The Professional Theatre | |
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| The Elizabethan Theatre | |
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| The Theatre in Society | |
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| The Nature of Elizabethan Drama | |
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| William Shakespeare | |
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| Elizabethan Staging | |
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| Acting in Elizabethan Dramas | |
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| The Beijing Opera of China | |
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| A Formal Society | |
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| Playwrights and Plays | |
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| A Language of Gesture | |
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| Acting and Staging | |
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| The Beijing Opera and the Communist Revolution | |
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| Theatre as a Mirror of Society | |
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| Theatre and Social Change | |
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| The Sustaining Power of the Theatre: Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| The Nature of Performance: The Theatre Practitioners | |
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| The Playwright's Vision | |
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| Looking at Joe Turner's Come and Gone | |
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| Exploring the Text of Joe Turner's Come and Gone | |
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| Plot and Characters: A Meeting of Two Worlds | |
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| Historical and Cultural Contexts of the Play | |
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| Theatre as History | |
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| The Aftermath of Slavery: Peonage and Sharecropping | |
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| Migration to the North | |
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| The Metaphor of the Road | |
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| The Oral Tradition | |
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| The Playwright's Sources | |
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| Bessie Smith and Romare Bearden | |
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| Mill Hand's Lunch Bucket | |
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| Folk Sources and W. C. Handy | |
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| The Complete Text of Joe Turner's Come and Gone | |
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| Producing Joe Turner's Come and Gone | |
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| The Construction of Meaning Through Collaboration | |
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| The Oregon Shakespeare Festival | |
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| The Actors at Work | |
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| Understanding the Play | |
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| The Rehearsal Process | |
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| Physical Characterization | |
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| Staging the Juba | |
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| Drumming and Dancing | |
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| Text and Verbal Improvisation | |
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| The Meaning of the Juba | |
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| Expanding the Stage Image: The Work of the Designers | |
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| The Set Design | |
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| The Costume Design | |
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| The Lighting Design | |
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| Conclusion: History and Meaning in Joe Turner's Come and Gone | |
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| The Quest for Self | |
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| Family and Inheritance: The Way from the Past to the Future | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| The Art of the Actor | |
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| The Presence of the Actor | |
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| The Actor's Craft | |
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| The Work of the Actor | |
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| Competing for Roles: The Audition | |
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| Preparing for the Role | |
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| The Rehearsal Process | |
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| Approaches to Acting | |
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| The Internal Approach | |
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| The External Approach | |
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| Acting Cordelia in King Lear | |
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| Gestural Acting | |
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| The Performance | |
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| Theatre and Film | |
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| Becoming an Actor | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| The Director | |
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| The History of the Director | |
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| The Director and the Development of Realism | |
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| The Director and the Determination of Style | |
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| The Visionary Director: Jerzy Grotowski | |
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| Ping Chong | |
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| Approaches to Directing | |
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| The Director at Work | |
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| Choosing the Play | |
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| The Director's Initial Response to the Play | |
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| Creating Metaphors | |
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| Working With the Actors | |
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| Casting | |
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| Nontraditional Casting | |
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| The Work Environment | |
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| Improvisation | |
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| Staging the Play | |
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| Focus | |
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| Spatial Composition and Character Development | |
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| Rhythm and Pacing | |
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| Preparing the Play for Performance | |
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| The Director's Training | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| The Designers | |
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| StageCraft and the Theatre | |
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| The Theatrical Space | |
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| The Proscenium Theatre | |
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| Thrust, Arena, and Black Box Stages | |
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| The Implications of Theatre Architecture for Designers | |
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| Three-Dimensional Space | |
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| Meetings and Interactions | |
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| The History of Scene Design | |
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| Scene Design Today | |
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| Designing The Grapes of Wrath | |
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| Costume Design | |
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| Stylistic Unity | |
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| The Psychology of Character | |
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| The Costume Designer and the Actor | |
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| Lighting Design | |
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| The History of Light in the Theatre | |
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| The Lighting Designer's Materials | |
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| Conceptualizing with Light | |
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| The Light Plot and Light Cues | |
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| Visibility | |
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| Focus | |
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| Mood and Atmosphere | |
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| The Rhythm of Light | |
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| The Growing Prominence of Sound Design | |
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| The Integration of Sound into the Production Process | |
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| The Sound Designer's Materials | |
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| Environmental Sound and Sound Reinforcement | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| The Musical Theatre | |
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| Origins of Musical Theatre in America | |
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| The Broadway Theatre | |
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| Oklahoma! | |
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| West Side Story | |
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| My Fair Lady | |
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| Cabaret | |
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| Stephen Sondheim | |
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| A Chorus Line | |
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| New Directions for the Musical Theatre | |
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| Savion Glover and Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk | |
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| Jonathan Larson and Rent | |
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| Julie Taymor and The Lion King | |
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| Susan Stroman and Contact | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| The Nature of Style: Realism and Theatricalism | |
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| Understanding Style: Realism | |
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| Introduction to Realism | |
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| "Realistic Elements in Joe Turner's Come and Gone | |
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| Realism in Film | |
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| Origins of Realism | |
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| The Social Background of Realism | |
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| European Realism | |
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| Henrik Ibsen | |
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| August Strindberg | |
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| Anton Chekhov | |
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| American Realism | |
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| Lillian Hellman | |
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| Poetic Realism: Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams | |
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| Konstantin Stanislavsky and Realistic Acting | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Expressing a Worldview Through Realism | |
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| Looking at And the Soul Shall Dance | |
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| Exploring the Text of and the Soul Shall Dance | |
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| Plot and Characters | |
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| Personal, Cultural, and Historical Contexts of the Play | |
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| The Play as Memory | |
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| Personal History | |
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| Prejudice, Discrimination, and Internment | |
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| The Play as Social Document | |
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| Evoking a World Through Detail | |
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| The Complete Text of and the Soul Shall Dance | |
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| Producing and the Soul Shall Dance | |
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| Introduction to East West Players | |
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| History of East West Players | |
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| Location and Physical Space | |
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| Staging the Play | |
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| The Director's Prologue | |
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| The Influence of Asian Theatre | |
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| Staging a Period Play: The Work of the Director and the Actors | |
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| Building Character Relationships | |
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| Contrasting Productions: East West Players and Northwest Asian American Theatre | |
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| Scene Design and the Physical Space | |
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| Interpreting Family Relationships | |
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| Sexuality and Gender | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Understanding Style: Theatricalism | |
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| Exposing the Mechanics of the Theatre | |
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| Expressionism | |
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| German Expressionism | |
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| American Expressionism: Eugene O'Neill | |
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| Epic Theatre: Bertolt Brecht | |
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| Brecht's Concept of Alienation | |
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| Brecht's Approach to Acting | |
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| Theatre of the Absurd | |
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| A Revolution in Movement: Martha Graham | |
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| A New Dance Vocabulary | |
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| Costume and Set as Partners in Dance | |
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| Total Theatre: Robert Wilson | |
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| Wilson's Experience | |
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| The Interior Landscape | |
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| A New Meeting of East and West; Shen Wei | |
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| From Opera to Modern Dance | |
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| Choreographer and Designer | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Expressing a Worldview through Theatricalism | |
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| Looking at Angels in America: Millennium Approaches | |
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| Exploring the Text of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches | |
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| Plot and Characters: A World in Spiritual Collapse | |
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| The Role of Roy Cohn | |
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| The Shifting Point of View | |
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| Influences on Kushner as Playwright: Bertolt Brecht and Caryl Churchill | |
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| The Historical Framework of Angels in America | |
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| The Character Roy Cohn as a Historical Figure | |
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| Roy Cohn and the Plot of Angels in America | |
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| Roy Cohn and Ethel Rosenberg | |
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| The Complete Text of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches | |
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| Producing Angels in America | |
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| The Eureka Theatre and the Playwright | |
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| The Role of the Dramaturg | |
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| The Developmental Process | |
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| Expanding Opportunities for the Development of New Plays | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| The Nature of Drama: Structure and Genre | |
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| The Elements of Drama and Dramatic Structure | |
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| Fundamental Elements of Structure | |
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| Character | |
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| Plot | |
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| Language | |
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| Music | |
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| Spectacle | |
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| The Organization of the Drama in Space and Time | |
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| The Duration of the Performance | |
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| Building the Drama: The Internal Rhythm | |
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| Conflict, Rising Tension, and Resolution | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Genre | |
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| Introduction to Genre | |
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| Tragedy and Comedy | |
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| Origins in Greek Drama | |
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| Aristotle on Tragedy and Comedy | |
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| Tragedy: Catharsis and Awareness | |
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| Plot Summaries of Selected Tragedies | |
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| Common Themes of Tragedy | |
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| Can Tragedy Exist Today? | |
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| Melodrama | |
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| Tragicomedy | |
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| Farce | |
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| Writing About the Theatre | |
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| The Dramaturg | |
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| The Critic | |
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| Two Reviews of Medea | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| Choosing a Genre: Comedy | |
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| Looking at Dog Lady | |
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| Exploring the Text of Dog Lady | |
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| Plot and Characters | |
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| The Playwright's Sources: An Intersection of Cultures | |
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| Characteristics of the Play | |
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| Blended Language | |
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| Magical Realism | |
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| Reinterpreting Catholic Imagery: The Virgin of Guadalupe | |
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| A Latina Identity | |
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| The Complete Text of Dog Lady | |
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| Producing Dog Lady | |
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| Intar | |
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| Set Design and Ming Cho Lee | |
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| Pop Art and Forced Perspective | |
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| Breaking the Illusion | |
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| Staging and Acting | |
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| Sight Gags | |
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| Vocal Style | |
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| Using Comedy to Shift the Worldview | |
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| Summary | |
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| Topics for Discussion and Writing | |
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| Suggestions for Further Reading | |
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| The Project | |
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| Looking at Buried Child | |
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| Preparing a Production | |
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| Buried Child and Alternative Play Choices | |
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| Introduction to Sam Shepard | |
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| Alternative Plays | |
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| Working on the Project | |
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| Sequence of Work | |
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| Topics for Group Discussion (Group Meeting 1) | |
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| Group Decisions (Group Meeting 2) | |
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| Project Assignments | |
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| The Director | |
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| Character Analysis | |
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| Scene Design | |
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| Costume Design | |
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| Music | |
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| Program Note | |
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| Poster | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| The Complete Text of Buried Child | |
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| Suggestion for Further Reading | |
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| Guided Writing Assignments | |
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| Notes | |
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| Glossary | |
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| Credits | |
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| Index | |