Christopher Innes – författare

The story of two legendary designers who made “modern America”From the 1920s through the 1950s, two individuals, Joseph Urban and Norman Bel Geddes, did more, by far, to create the image of “America” and make it synonymous with modernity than any of their contemporaries. Urban and Bel Geddes were leading Broadway stage designers and directors who turned their prodigious talents to other projects, becoming mavericks first in industrial design and then in commercial design, fashion, architecture, and more. The two men gave shape to the most quintessential symbols of the modern American lifestyle, including movies, cars, department stores, and nightclubs, along with private homes, kitchens, stoves, fridges, magazines, and numerous household furnishings.Illustrated with more than 130 photographs of their influential designs, this book tells the engrossing story of Urban and Bel Geddes. Christopher Innes shows how these two men with a background in theater lent dramatic flair to everything they designed and how this theatricality gave the distinctive modernity they created such wide appeal. If the American lifestyle has been much imitated across the globe over the past fifty years, says Innes, it is due in large measure to the designs of Urban and Bel Geddes. Together they were responsible for creating what has been called the “Golden Age” of American culture.

Examining the development of avant garde theatre from its inception in the 1890s right up to the present day, Christopher Innes exposes a central paradox of modern theatre; that the motivating force of theatrical experimentation is primitivism. What links the work of Strindberg, Artaud, Brook and Mnouchkine is an idealisation of the elemental and a desire to find ritual in archaic traditions. This widespread primitivism is the key to understanding both the political and aesthetic aspects of modern theatre and provides fresh insights into contemporary social trends. The original text, first published in 1981 as Holy Theatre, has been fully revised and up-dated to take account of the most recent theoretical developments in anthropology, critical theory and psychotherapy. New sections on Heiner Muller, Robert Wilson, Eugenio Barba, Ariane Mnouchkine and Sam Shepard have been added. As a result, the book now deals with all the major avant garde theatre practitioners, in Europe and North America.Avant Garde Theatre will be essential reading for anyone attempting to understand contemporary drama.

Examining the development of avant garde theatre from its inception in the 1890s right up to the present day, Christopher Innes exposes a central paradox of modern theatre; that the motivating force of theatrical experimentation is primitivism. What links the work of Strindberg, Artaud, Brook and Mnouchkine is an idealisation of the elemental and a desire to find ritual in archaic traditions. This widespread primitivism is the key to understanding both the political and aesthetic aspects of modern theatre and provides fresh insights into contemporary social trends. The original text, first published in 1981 as Holy Theatre, has been fully revised and up-dated to take account of the most recent theoretical developments in anthropology, critical theory and psychotherapy. New sections on Heiner Muller, Robert Wilson, Eugenio Barba, Ariane Mnouchkine and Sam Shepard have been added. As a result, the book now deals with all the major avant garde theatre practitioners, in Europe and North America.Avant Garde Theatre will be essential reading for anyone attempting to understand contemporary drama.

A Sourcebook on Naturalist Theatre provides essential primary sources which document one of the key movements in modern theatre. Christopher Innes has selected three writers to exemplify the movement, and six plays in particular:* Henrik Ibsen - A Dolls House and Hedda Gabler* Anton Chekhov - The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard* George Bernard Shaw - Mrs Warren's Profession and Heartbreak House.Innes' introduction provides an overview of naturalist theatre. Key themes include: the representation of women, significant contemporary issues and the links between theory, play writing and stage practice. The primary sources explore many aspects of naturalism, giving information on:* the playwrights' intentions when writing plays* contemporary reviews* literary criticism* political and social background* production notes from early performances of the plays.

A Sourcebook on Naturalist Theatre provides essential primary sources which document one of the key movements in modern theatre. Christopher Innes has selected three writers to exemplify the movement, and six plays in particular:* Henrik Ibsen - A Dolls House and Hedda Gabler* Anton Chekhov - The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard* George Bernard Shaw - Mrs Warren's Profession and Heartbreak House.Innes' introduction provides an overview of naturalist theatre. Key themes include: the representation of women, significant contemporary issues and the links between theory, play writing and stage practice. The primary sources explore many aspects of naturalism, giving information on:* the playwrights' intentions when writing plays* contemporary reviews* literary criticism* political and social background* production notes from early performances of the plays.

Since Hedda Gabler exploded on to European and American stages in the 1890s, the play and its title character have troubled and transfixed audiences, performers and critics the world over. In this sourcebook, Christopher Innes balances essential reprinted texts with clear, incisive commentary to:*set the play within the contexts of Norwegian nationalism, the women's movement and the cultural movement of Naturalism*examine and emphasize the links between the performance and criticism of the play, from 1890 to the present*offer the ideal guide to key passages in the play, showing how a knowledge of the play's contexts, performance history and critical fortunes can give rise to exciting new readings of the text*prepare readers for further study of the play, with suggestions for reading on specific issues of interest.No student should be without this guide as they enter the fascinating world of Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen and Naturalist theater.

Since Hedda Gabler exploded on to European and American stages in the 1890s, the play and its title character have troubled and transfixed audiences, performers and critics the world over. In this sourcebook, Christopher Innes balances essential reprinted texts with clear, incisive commentary to:*set the play within the contexts of Norwegian nationalism, the women's movement and the cultural movement of Naturalism*examine and emphasize the links between the performance and criticism of the play, from 1890 to the present*offer the ideal guide to key passages in the play, showing how a knowledge of the play's contexts, performance history and critical fortunes can give rise to exciting new readings of the text*prepare readers for further study of the play, with suggestions for reading on specific issues of interest.No student should be without this guide as they enter the fascinating world of Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen and Naturalist theater.

A revised and updated version of Modern British Drama, 1890-1990, now covering the whole twentieth century, this was the first one-volume analysis of English playwriting to cover the most exciting and productive period in British Theatre from its inception to today. Through detailed discussions of major dramatists and plays, Innes traces the evolution of modernism from Bernard Shaw to Patrick Marber and Sarah Kane, and theatrical developments over the whole century. Includes information on the social and political environment surrounding the plays, first productions, and critical reception, plus chronology, illustrations from key performances, lists of playwrights and works, and selective bibliographies. An invaluable guide for students, theatre-goers and theatre historians.

From her own knowledge of Blin's rigorous working habits, from interviews with close associates, and Blin's own rare statements, production notes and drawings, Odette Aslan has pieced together the history of Blin's work as actor, critic, and director, his relationship with playwrights and actors, and how he struggled against obstacles to stage works by then unknown authors and bring out the peculiar qualities of the plays he chose.

André Antoine, founder of the Théâtre Libre in 1887, was one of the initiators of the modern theatre. This full-length study of Antoine's work in English for more than sixty years is notable for its attention to the variousness of Antoine's remarkable career. It explores the power and some of the inherent contradictions of Antoine's stage realism, his creation of a repertory theatre noted for its ensemble playing, and his innovatory work in directing Shakespeare and the French classics. In the final section, Antoine's encounters, c.1918, with the new medium of film are discussed. The book will be of interest to students and teachers of drama, theatre history, film studies and literature, and to the general reader. It includes a chronology of Antoine's productions and theatre career and is generously illustrated with drawings and photographs.

This is an assessment of the work and influence as a director of Jacques Copeau (1879-1949), who has long been regarded as one of the fathers of twentieth-century French theatre. Along with Antoine and his own pupils Dullin and Jouvet, Copeau is known to have been instrumental in restoring the traditional values of theatre at the same time as seeking, through training and experiment, a vital contemporary function. The work of Brook's company and research centre in Paris today is, for example, in direct descent from that of Copeau. John Rudlin examines the course of Copeau's directorial career, concentrating on his techniques in rehearsal and performance, charting his relationships with those who collaborated and worked with him, and elucidating his ideas of theatre. This book will interest all scholars and students of twentieth-century drama, and will also be of use to theatre practitioners.

First published in 1981, Michael Patterson's was the first book in any language to be devoted to the work of Germany's leading theatre director. Peter Stein's thoughtful and critical approach to a variety of dramatic texts - from Irish comedy to German classics, where his reputation largely rests - has resulted in a range of different acting and formal styles and some major textual adaptations. The rehearsing, performance and reception of these are thoroughly and vividly recreated here from interviews and archives and in the first-hand account of the workings of the theatre Stein made his own, the Schaubühne in West Berlin. Patterson discusses the apparent contradictions between the Schaubühne's original ideals as a model of socialist theatre and its present situation as one of the most highly subsidizes stages in Western Europe. Many productions are illustrated by photographs and imaginative reconstructions of particular scenes.

Max Reinhardt (1873-1943), one of the major theatre figures of the twentieth century, was among the first to establish the importance of the director in modern theatre. His fame outside Germany rests somewhat unfairly on his distorted image as producer of giant, Gothic spectacles staged in vast auditoria or cathedral squares. In this book Professor Styan is concerned to illustrate Reinhardt's astonishing versatility as director of more than six hundred productions, which together cover almost all the dramatic genres and all the major theatrical movements of the time. Professor Styan explains Reinhardt's place in the history of Austrian and German culture and world theatrical movements. Using contemporary reviews and the Regiebuch, or director's promptbook, he describes in detail the organization, performance and impact of some of the director's major productions: his symbolist interpretation of Ghosts and Salome; the expressionist experiment with plays by Wedekind, Strindberg, Sorge and Buchner; the Shakespeare sequence, including the classic A Midsummer Night's Dream; productions of Greek tragedy, Goethe, and the baroque spectacles such as Everyman, which together cover almost all the dramatic genres and all the major theatrical movements of the time. Professor Styan explains Reinhardt's place in the history of Austrian and German culture and world theatrical movements. Using contemporary reviews and the Regiebuch, or director's promptbook, he describes in detail the organization, performance and impact of some of the director's major productions: his symbolist interpretation of Ghosts and Salome; the expressionist experiment with plays by Wedekind, Strindberg, Sorge and Buchner; the Shakespeare sequence, including the classic A Midsummer Night's Dream; productions of Greek tragedy, Goethe, and the baroque spectacles such as Everyman.

Peter Brook is regarded as one of the most important and influential directors today. In this fascinating study, Albert Hunt and Geoffrey Reeves chronicle Brook's development beginning with his earliest productions and concluding with some of his most recent and innovative work. The authors trace the director's work from the Birmingham Repertory Theatre to the Royal Shakespeare Company, the establishment of his own company and theatre at the Bouffes du Nord in Paris, and the creation of his unique theatrical style. Reeves and Hunt also focus on Brook outside the theatre including the film version of Mahabharata and his work for the opera house. The book will be of interest to theatre practitioners, students and scholars as well as to the general reader. It includes a chronology of Brook's theatre career and is illustrated with photographs from key productions.

For at least the last half-century, Strehler has been an influential and integral part of European theatrical life; today he is most closely associated with the Teatro Piccolo in Milan, Italy's foremost repertory theatre. Outside Italy, Strehler is best known through his directorship of the Paris-based Théâtre de l'Europe, his opera productions, and the plays in the Piccolo repertoire which have toured widely. In this detailed study, David Hirst evaluates the particular qualities which typify Strehler's work: the lyrical realism which has become the hallmark of his mature style, the fusion of naturalism, epic theatre, commedia dell'arte and lyric opera, and the gift of interpretation and production. Hirst traces this unique style through Strehler's development from the foundation of the Piccolo to the present day and analyses his productions of Goldoni, Shakespeare, Brecht and Verdi among others.

For at least the last half-century, Strehler has been an influential and integral part of European theatrical life; today he is most closely associated with the Teatro Piccolo in Milan, Italy's foremost repertory theatre. Outside Italy, Strehler is best known through his directorship of the Paris-based Théâtre de l'Europe, his opera productions, and the plays in the Piccolo repertoire which have toured widely. In this detailed study, David Hirst evaluates the particular qualities which typify Strehler's work: the lyrical realism which has become the hallmark of his mature style, the fusion of naturalism, epic theatre, commedia dell'arte and lyric opera, and the gift of interpretation and production. Hirst traces this unique style through Strehler's development from the foundation of the Piccolo to the present day and analyses his productions of Goldoni, Shakespeare, Brecht and Verdi among others.

Robert Wilson, the leading American avant-garde theatre director, revolutionised the stage by making visual communication more important than words. His productions cut across the boundaries that traditionally have defined theatre, dance, opera and the visual arts to create a total work of art. This book, the first comprehensive study of Wilson, traces the evolution of the director's astonishing career as well as his complex relationship to language and his visual rhetoric. It explains how he renovated the stage and describes in detail major productions such as: Deafman Glance, Einstein on the Beach, and the Civil Wars. Arthur Holmberg's numerous personal interviews and first-hand observations of Wilson's creative process, provide an intimate, behind-the-scenes view of one of our most original directors. Photographs and sketches from Wilson's private collection are included, along with a chronology of his work.

The Cambridge Companion to George Bernard Shaw is an indispensable guide to one of the most influential and important dramatists of the theatre. The volume offers a broad-ranging study of Shaw with essays by a team of leading scholars. The Companion covers all aspects of Shaw's drama, focusing on both the political and theatrical context, while the extensive illustrations showcase productions from the Shaw Festival in Canada. In addition to situating Shaw's work in its own time, the Companion demonstrates its continuing relevance, and applies some of the newest critical approaches. Topics include Shaw and the publishing trade, Shaw and feminism, and Shaw and the Empire, as well as analyses of the early plays, discussion plays and history plays.

This Introduction is an exciting journey through the different styles of theatre that twentieth-century and contemporary directors have created. It discusses artistic and political values, rehearsal methods and the diverging relationships with actors, designers, other collaborators and audiences, and treatment of dramatic material. Offering a compelling analysis of theatrical practice, Christopher Innes and Maria Shevtsova explore the different rehearsal and staging principles and methods of such earlier groundbreaking figures as Stanislavsky, Meyerhold and Brecht, revising standard perspectives on their work. The authors analyse, as well, a diverse range of innovative contemporary directors, including Ariane Mnouchkine, Elizabeth LeCompte, Peter Sellars, Robert Wilson, Thomas Ostermeier and Oskaras Koršunovas, among many others. While tracing the different roots of directorial practices across time and space, and discussing their artistic, cultural and political significance, the authors provide key examples of the major directorial approaches and reveal comprehensive patterns in the craft of directing and the influence and collaborative relationships of directors.

Insightful, in-depth and evocative, this book is a collection of conversations with nine of the most innovative theatre directors of our time in Europe and North America: • Eugenio Barba • Lev Dodin • Declan Donnellan • Elizabeth LeCompte • Robert LePage • Simon McBurney • Katie Mitchell • Peter Sellars • Max Stafford-Clark. All these directors have developed their own highly individual theatre language and have been influential, nationally and internationally, across a wide range of theatre practices. The length, depth and scope of the discussions distinguishes this collection from others, each director providing a fascinating insight into his/her particular working processes. The book reveals the complex world of directors and their creative relationships with actors, in rehearsal and performance, and playwrights. Each conversation is framed by an introduction to the work of the director, a detailed chronology of productions and an indicative bibliography to inspire further reading and research.

A revised and updated version of Modern British Drama, 1890-1990, now covering the whole twentieth century, this was the first one-volume analysis of English playwriting to cover the most exciting and productive period in British Theatre from its inception to today. Through detailed discussions of major dramatists and plays, Innes traces the evolution of modernism from Bernard Shaw to Patrick Marber and Sarah Kane, and theatrical developments over the whole century. Includes information on the social and political environment surrounding the plays, first productions, and critical reception, plus chronology, illustrations from key performances, lists of playwrights and works, and selective bibliographies. An invaluable guide for students, theatre-goers and theatre historians.

This Introduction is an exciting journey through the different styles of theatre that twentieth-century and contemporary directors have created. It discusses artistic and political values, rehearsal methods and the diverging relationships with actors, designers, other collaborators and audiences, and treatment of dramatic material. Offering a compelling analysis of theatrical practice, Christopher Innes and Maria Shevtsova explore the different rehearsal and staging principles and methods of such earlier groundbreaking figures as Stanislavsky, Meyerhold and Brecht, revising standard perspectives on their work. The authors analyse, as well, a diverse range of innovative contemporary directors, including Ariane Mnouchkine, Elizabeth LeCompte, Peter Sellars, Robert Wilson, Thomas Ostermeier and Oskaras Koršunovas, among many others. While tracing the different roots of directorial practices across time and space, and discussing their artistic, cultural and political significance, the authors provide key examples of the major directorial approaches and reveal comprehensive patterns in the craft of directing and the influence and collaborative relationships of directors.

Insightful, in-depth and evocative, this book is a collection of conversations with nine of the most innovative theatre directors of our time in Europe and North America: • Eugenio Barba • Lev Dodin • Declan Donnellan • Elizabeth LeCompte • Robert LePage • Simon McBurney • Katie Mitchell • Peter Sellars • Max Stafford-Clark. All these directors have developed their own highly individual theatre language and have been influential, nationally and internationally, across a wide range of theatre practices. The length, depth and scope of the discussions distinguishes this collection from others, each director providing a fascinating insight into his/her particular working processes. The book reveals the complex world of directors and their creative relationships with actors, in rehearsal and performance, and playwrights. Each conversation is framed by an introduction to the work of the director, a detailed chronology of productions and an indicative bibliography to inspire further reading and research.

First published in 1999, this volume aims to develop the field of theatre studies by promoting the study of performative elements and thus fostering their consideration in the critical interpretation of dramatic literature. The authors additionally suggest ways of approaching and evaluating the work of individual performers, as well as of directors, designers and producers. It is an archival guide which covers manuscript and ephemera, rather than published texts, and attempts to indicate the potential value of the documentary material listed.This unique reference guide provides descriptions and evaluations of archive manuscript materials and ephemera relating to twentieth-century British and American theatre. Over 100 archives across Europe, North America and Britain were examined in the compilation of this volume. The documents include: unpublished playscripts; state and costume designs; directors' books; prompt books; lighting plots; stage photos; correspondence; theatre programmes. One hundred and seventy five entries are arranged alphabetically and cover playwrights, directors, designers and actors. By its nature, theatre is a collaborative enterprise, a facet which is recognised in the comprehensive cross-referencing of entries. The last twenty years has seen a shift in drama studies from text-based criticism to analysis of performance. The materials covered in this book have therefore become essential to future research in the field.

First published in 1999, this volume aims to develop the field of theatre studies by promoting the study of performative elements and thus fostering their consideration in the critical interpretation of dramatic literature. The authors additionally suggest ways of approaching and evaluating the work of individual performers, as well as of directors, designers and producers. It is an archival guide which covers manuscript and ephemera, rather than published texts, and attempts to indicate the potential value of the documentary material listed.This unique reference guide provides descriptions and evaluations of archive manuscript materials and ephemera relating to twentieth-century British and American theatre. Over 100 archives across Europe, North America and Britain were examined in the compilation of this volume. The documents include: unpublished playscripts; state and costume designs; directors' books; prompt books; lighting plots; stage photos; correspondence; theatre programmes. One hundred and seventy five entries are arranged alphabetically and cover playwrights, directors, designers and actors. By its nature, theatre is a collaborative enterprise, a facet which is recognised in the comprehensive cross-referencing of entries. The last twenty years has seen a shift in drama studies from text-based criticism to analysis of performance. The materials covered in this book have therefore become essential to future research in the field.

Unrivalled in its coverage of recent work and writers, The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary American Playwrights surveys and analyses the breadth, vitality and development of theatrical work to emerge from America over the last fifty years.This authoritative guide leads you through the work of 25 major contemporary American playwrights, discussing more than 140 plays in detail. Written by a team of 25 eminent international scholars, each chapter provides:· a biographical introduction to the playwright’s work; · a survey and concise analysis of the writer's most important plays; · a discussion of their style, dramaturgical concerns and critical reception; · a bibliography of published plays and a select list of critical works.Among the many Tony, Obie and Pulitzer prize-winning playwrights included are Sam Shepard, Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, August Wilson, Paula Vogel and Neil LaBute. The abundance of work analysed enables fresh, illuminating conclusions to be drawn about the development of contemporary American playwriting.

Edward Gordon Craig's ideas regarding set and lighting have had an enormous impact on the development of the theatre we know today.In this new and updated edition of his well-known study of Edward Gordon Craig, Professor Christopher Innes shows how Craig's stage work and theoretical writings were crucial to the development of modern theatre. This book contains extensive documentation and re-evaluates his significance as an artist, actor, director and writer. Craig is placed in historical context, and his productions are reconstituted from unpublished prompt-books, sketches, journals and correspondence. Most of the designs and photographs, and many of Craig's writings cited, are not available elsewhere in print. Readers will gain insight into a key period of theatrical history, the life of one of its most fascinating individuals, the nature of stage performance, and into revolutionary ideas that are still challenging today.