How to Write About Theatre

How to Write About Theatre PDF Author: Mark Fisher
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472520556
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
What do you do if you find yourself weeping in the stalls? How should you react to Jude Law's trousers or David Tennant's hair? Are you prepared to receive toilet paper in the post? What if the show you just damned turns out to be a classic? If you gave it a five-star rave will anyone believe you? Drawing on his long years of experience as a national newspaper critic, Mark Fisher answers such questions with candour, wit and insight. Learning lessons from history's leading critics and taking examples from around the world, he gives practical advice about how to celebrate, analyse and discuss this most ephemeral of art forms - and how to make your writing come alive as you do so. Today, more people than ever are writing about theatre, but whether you're blogging, tweeting or writing an academic essay, your challenges as a critic remain the same: how to capture a performance in words, how to express your opinions and how to keep the reader entertained. This inspirational book shows you the way to do it. Foreword by Chris Jones, Chief theater critic, Chicago Tribune

How to Write About Theatre

How to Write About Theatre PDF Author: Mark Fisher
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472520556
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Get Book Here

Book Description
What do you do if you find yourself weeping in the stalls? How should you react to Jude Law's trousers or David Tennant's hair? Are you prepared to receive toilet paper in the post? What if the show you just damned turns out to be a classic? If you gave it a five-star rave will anyone believe you? Drawing on his long years of experience as a national newspaper critic, Mark Fisher answers such questions with candour, wit and insight. Learning lessons from history's leading critics and taking examples from around the world, he gives practical advice about how to celebrate, analyse and discuss this most ephemeral of art forms - and how to make your writing come alive as you do so. Today, more people than ever are writing about theatre, but whether you're blogging, tweeting or writing an academic essay, your challenges as a critic remain the same: how to capture a performance in words, how to express your opinions and how to keep the reader entertained. This inspirational book shows you the way to do it. Foreword by Chris Jones, Chief theater critic, Chicago Tribune

How to Write About Theatre

How to Write About Theatre PDF Author: Mark Fisher
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 147424629X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
"Today, more people than ever are writing about theatre, but whether you're blogging, tweeting or writing an academic essay, the challenges as a critic remain the same: how to capture a performance in words, how to express your opinions, and how to keep the reader entertained. This inspirational book shows you how to go about it and overcome these challenges." -- dust jacket

Theatre of the Unimpressed

Theatre of the Unimpressed PDF Author: Jordan Tannahill
Publisher: Coach House Books
ISBN: 177056411X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
How dull plays are killing theatre and what we can do about it. Had I become disenchanted with the form I had once fallen so madly in love with as a pubescent, pimple-faced suburban homo with braces? Maybe theatre was like an all-consuming high school infatuation that now, ten years later, I saw as the closeted balding guy with a beer gut he’d become. There were of course those rare moments of transcendencethat kept me coming back. But why did they come so few and far between? A lot of plays are dull. And one dull play, it seems, can turn us off theatre for good. Playwright and theatre director Jordan Tannahill takes in the spectrum of English-language drama – from the flashiest of Broadway spectacles to productions mounted in scrappy storefront theatres – to consider where lifeless plays come from and why they persist. Having travelled the globe talking to theatre artists, critics, passionate patrons and the theatrically disillusioned, Tannahill addresses what he considers the culture of ‘risk aversion’ paralyzing the form. Theatre of the Unimpressed is Tannahill’s wry and revelatory personal reckoning with the discipline he’s dedicated his life to, and a roadmap for a vital twenty-first-century theatre – one that apprehends the value of ‘liveness’ in our mediated age and the necessity for artistic risk and its attendant failures. In considering dramaturgy, programming and alternative models for producing, Tannahill aims to turn theatre from an obligation to a destination. ‘[Tannahill is] the poster child of a new generation of (theatre? film? dance?) artists for whom "interdisciplinary" is not a buzzword, but a way of life.’ —J. Kelly Nestruck, Globe and Mail ‘Jordan is one of the most talented and exciting playwrights in the country, and he will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.’ —Nicolas Billon, Governor General's Award–winning playwright (Fault Lines)

100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write

100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write PDF Author: Sarah Ruhl
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 0374711976
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write is an incisive, idiosyncratic collection on life and theater from major American playwright Sarah Ruhl. This is a book in which chimpanzees, Chekhov, and child care are equally at home. A vibrant, provocative examination of the possibilities of the theater, it is also a map to a very particular artistic sensibility, and an unexpected guide for anyone who has chosen an artist's life. Sarah Ruhl is a mother of three and one of America's best-known playwrights. She has written a stunningly original book of essays whose concerns range from the most minimal and personal subjects to the most encompassing matters of art and culture. The titles themselves speak to the volume's uniqueness: "On lice," "On sleeping in the theater," "On motherhood and stools (the furniture kind)," "Greek masks and Bell's palsy."

Playwriting For Dummies

Playwriting For Dummies PDF Author: Angelo Parra
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118017226
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
The easy way to craft, polish, and get your play on stage Getting a play written and produced is a daunting process. From crystallizing story ideas, formatting the script, understanding the roles of the director stagecraft people, to marketing and financing your project, and incorporating professional insights on writing, there are plenty of ins and outs that every aspiring playwright needs to know. But where can you turn for guidance? Playwriting For Dummies helps any writer at any stage of the process hone their craft and create the most dramatic and effective pieces. Guides you through every process of playwriting?from soliloquies, church skits, and one act plays to big Broadway musicals Advice on moving your script to the public stage Guidance on navigating loopholes If you're an aspiring playwright looking to begin the process, or have already penned a masterpiece and need trusted advice to bring it into the spotlight, Playwriting For Dummies has you covered.

Sondheim on Music

Sondheim on Music PDF Author: Mark Eden Horowitz
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 153812551X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
From his early work as lyricist for West Side Story to acclaimed creations such as A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, and Sweeney Todd, Stephen Sondheim is widely regarded as the most important figure in musical theater since the second half of the 20th century. Who better to discuss this prolific artist’s work than the master himself? Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions is a collection of interviews conducted by Mark Eden Horowitz, senior music specialist in the music division of the Library of Congress. In these guided conversations, Sondheim expounds in great depth and detail on his craft. As a natural teacher, thoughtful and opinionated, Sondheim discusses the art of musical composition, lyric writing, the collaborative process of musical theater, and how he thinks about his own work. The entire scope of Sondheim’s career is covered here, in which Sondheim’s greatest works are discussed—from Passion, Assassins, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and Pacific Overtures to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Merrily We Roll Along, Company, Follies, Anyone Can Whistle, and A Little Night Music. Sondheim even provides thoughts about the film adaptations of his works, such as Sweeney Todd. The book also features an entire chapter on Bounce, the previous incarnation of his latest musical, Road Show. Preserving the essential elements of the previous volumes, this edition includes all of the interviews—verbatim—and features a revised introduction and a postlude with an additional conversation. Finally in paperback, Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions, The Less Is More Edition is a must-have for fans of these creative genius.

Theatre for Children

Theatre for Children PDF Author: David Wood
Publisher: Ivan R. Dee
ISBN: 1461664497
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
One of the world's leading children's dramatists provides a practical handbook of the skills involved in entertaining and involving audiences of children. A marvelous contribution to the world of Youth Theater...a must. —Robyn Flatt, Dallas Children's Theater. He has often been called the National Playwright for Children and he deserves it. —Cameron Mackintosh

Writing about Theatre

Writing about Theatre PDF Author: Christopher J. Thaiss
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Longman
ISBN: 9780205280001
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In Hamlet, when the melancholy prince kills Polonius, the dramatic tension is enhanced by the audience's knowledge that Polonius lurks behind the curtain, and that Hamlet will mistake him for his detested stepfather. Though this tension is understood and appreciated by readers of the play, its dynamics of raw intensity are perhaps best understood by the interplay between performers and audience members. By addressing both enthusiasts of theater and enthusiasts of dramatic literature, Thaiss and Davis demonstrate how one's understanding of drama is enriched by critical attention to both performance and text. It specifically addresses the writing needs of a novice playwright, not in conjunction with "writing about literature," but about the play as subject in its own right. This book provides critical analysis of play texts, as well as performance reviews, theater history research, and other examples that enliven understanding and promote versatility. In its sequence of chapters, it addresses projects of increasing sophistication, from performance reviews and play analyses to theater history research and dramatic theory papers. As a general guide to good writing, this book also promotes learning and critical/creative thought. Introductory chapters cover the principles of good writing and offer strategies to help readers overcome writer's block, organize effectively and avoid common usage and style pitfalls. Anyone interested in drama and/or literature.

Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2021

Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2021 PDF Author: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472968158
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 1636

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Book Description
The latest edition of the bestselling guide to all you need to know about how to get published, is packed full of advice, inspiration and practical information. The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook has been guiding writers and illustrators on the best way to present their work, how to navigate the world of publishing and ways to improve their chances of success, for over 110 years. It is equally relevant for writers of novels and non-fiction, poems and scripts and for those writing for children, YA and adults and covers works in print, digital and audio formats. If you want to find a literary or illustration agent or publisher, would like to self-publish or crowdfund your creative idea then this Yearbook will help you. As well as sections on publishers and agents, newspapers and magazines, illustration and photography, theatre and screen, there is a wealth of detail on the legal and financial aspects of being a writer or illustrator.

Playwriting for Puppet Theatre

Playwriting for Puppet Theatre PDF Author: Jean M. Mattson
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 1461670543
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
Playwriting for Puppet Theatre provides a foundation for those puppeteers, teachers and librarians who want to develop suitable scripts for puppet theatre. Mattson explores the difference between traditional theatre and puppet theatre and notes the special characteristics of the various puppets. The important aspects of script writing are then addressed. She considers the many general questions which must be answered by the playwright: the type of puppet to be used, the audience, and availability of resources and facilities. Suggestions are then given for dramatizing original ideas and for adapting well-known stories. The chapter on plot development emphasizes the importance of perspective, transitional material and the need for action. One chapter proposes various ways to develop a character through dialogue, names, and behavior. Another chapter demonstrates how the use of rhyme can add interest and humor to a puppet play. Teachers will find suggestions on how to develop a play on a specific theme or about a specific character. Some attention is also given to the mechanics of writing a play. Includes a group of puppet plays which have been successfully performed by Seattle Puppetory Theatre. Among them are Rumplestiltskin, The Princess and the Pea, The Bad-Tempered Wife, The Golden Axe, The Swineherd, and The Fisherman and His Wife. Production notes follow each script. Several samples of manipulation charts are included which may be used as an aid in blocking the puppets and the puppeteers for the various hand puppet productions.