This volume provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of the history of kabuki, Japan's 'music-dance-drama'. It traces the development of the form from its ribald, burlesque beginnings in the early 1600s, through to the 21st century experimental fusions with pop culture that are on-going today and examines five popular works drawn from the 18th to the 20th centuries.Along the way, it examines the development of star-driven commercial theater with blockbuste...

What does 'performance theory' really mean and why has it become so important across such a large number of disciplines, from art history to religious studies and architecture to geography? In this introduction Simon Shepherd explains the origins of performance theory, defines the terms and practices within the field and provides new insights into performance's wide range of definitions and uses. Offering an overview of the key figures, their theories and their impact, Shepherd provides a ...

An accessible and authoritative compendium of key concepts in acting, this book reveals how the craft has been understood by the world's leading practitioners and theorists.What is 'truthful' acting? Am I 'freeing the voice' and being 'authentic' in my performance? The idioms of acting can both delight and confound. While enthusiastic theatregoers and aspiring actors may be attracted to studio slang, theorists and practitioners of the craft will argue fiercely over...

This is an accessible introduction to jingju (Beijing/Peking opera) which presents readers with an analysis of the different components of its aesthetic form in the context of its ongoing cultural history.It traces the history of jingju from its origin during the 1790s to its present-day status as one of the few theatrical forms to enjoy nation-wide popularity in China. In 2010, UNESCO placed it on the Representative List of the Intangible Heritag...

From its origins in the poetic tradition and its refinement in the southern salons of the 16th century, to its 18th**-century theatrical heyday and patriotic revival in modern times, this book introduces Kunqu and its enduring role in shaping cultural life. As China's classical musical and theatrical tradition, Kunqu is essential to understanding the country's artistic heritage.**The rich body of drama and poetry associated with Kunqu has often been studied indepen...

Drawing on more than 4 decades of experience working in Nautanki as a writer, director, singer, and actor, Sharma's book is the first major study to analyse Nautanki not only through its literary bases, but also through live performances, considering it both in a historical vein and as contemporary theatre on the ground.What entertained India's masses and elites before the arrival of cinema in India? When did “modern” theatre begin in India and how did Nautanki con...

This volume provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of the rich traditions of noh, classical Japanese dance-drama.Drawing from specialized scholarship in English and in Japanese, it takes an accessible approach useful for a range of readers, including students and researchers of Japanese culture and performing arts, as well as theatre practitioners.The introduction provides an overview, describing noh from the point of view of both the audience an...

Authored by a leading exponent of the form, this book provides a clear guide to Kathakali, exploring its origin, evolution, and characteristics and the ways it has adapted for a 21st-century audience.Kathakali is an introduction to this vibrant mode of dance drama, which comes from Kerala in southwest India and combines poetry, music, rhythm, and dance to represent stories of gods, demons, and humans. Originating in the latter part of the 16th century, tod...

What distinguishes documentary theatre from other forms of drama? How has it integrated different media across the years, and to what effect? What is its relationship to truth and reality, and defining moments of civic unrest and political change?In this short, authoritative book, Andy Lavender surveys a century of documentary theatre and performance and analyses key productions. Arranged in 3 sections that take a broadly chronological approach, the volume consider...

This volume foregrounds Pina Bausch, Romeo Castellucci and Jan Fabre as three leading directors who have each left an indelible mark on post-war European theatre. Combining in-depth discussions of the artists' poetics with detailed case studies of several famous and lesser-known key works, the authors featured in this volume trace a range of foundational aesthetic strategies that are central to the directors' work: the dynamics of repetition vis-à-vis fragmentation, the continued significa...

Drawing on interview material from more than 20 leading stage managers from the UK, USA and Australia, this book situates the contemporary practice of stage management within its historical and social contexts.Questioning the notions of the invisible stage manager and a linear production process, it argues for a broader conception of stage management lying at the intersections of administration, management and artistry.This volume places stage management pr...

This book introduces readers to the historical, performative, and cultural context of pansori, a traditional Korean oral story-singing art.Written by a scholar-practitioner of the form, this study is structured in three parts and begins by introducing readers to the technical, aesthetic, and theoretical components of pansori, as well as the synthesis of vocal and percussive elements that stage the narrative. It moves on to reflect on the historical contexts of pans...