Methuen Drama – serie

This powerful anthology brings together reflective and raw plays by American playwrights surrounding the psychic and political boundaries of the many faces and shadows of terrorism. Allan Havis’s introduction addresses a variety of terrorism cases from the last 25 years, examines several theories of the root causes of modern terrors, and underscores how theatre forms a unique contour to social and philosophical thought on terrorism. With a foreword from Robert Brustein, the anthology features:Break of Noon by Neil LaBute7/11 by Kia CorthronOmnium Gatherum by Theresa Rebeck and Alexandra Gersten-VassilarosColumbinus by PJ Paparelli and Stephen KaramWhy Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them by Christopher Durang

Drawing on Ken Rea’s 35 years’ teaching experience and research, as well as interviews with top actors and directors, The Outstanding Actor identifies seven key qualities that the most successful actors manifest, along with practical exercises that help nurture those qualities and videos to demonstrate them. Featuring contributions and insights from Ewan McGregor, Jude Law, Judi Dench, Al Pacino, Lily James, Rufus Norris and many more, The Outstanding Actor gives you techniques that you can immediately put into practice in rehearsals, classes or private preparation. It also shows you how to increase the chances of having a more successful career.This new edition covers topical issues such as the #MeToo movement, gender balance and race issues, and how these affect working conditions and careers. There are also brand new links to video resources that bring the valuable exercises to life.The book also includes forewords by Damian Lewis and Lily James.

What does a musical theatre choreographer actually do? They just 'make up the steps', right? This book firstly debunks the misunderstandings around what musical theatre choreographers actually do, demonstrating their need to have an in-depth understanding of storytelling, music theory, performance practices and plot structure in order to create movement that enhances and enlivens the musical. Secondly, it equips the musical theatre choreographer with all the tools needed to create nuanced, informed and inspired movement for productions, through structured activities that build specific skills (such as 'notating the script' and 'scoring the score').Traditionally, this training has been something of a series of secrets, passed from mentor to apprentice. The author demystifies the process to make the previously undisclosed “tricks of the trade” accessible to all choreographers, everywhere. Covering the entire process of choreographing a musical from the first script reading to the final curtain call, this book makes case for the absolute integrity of the choreographer to any musical theatre production and sets out the theoretical principles of choreography alongside the practical application during every step of the production process.

As principal dancer with Montréal-based company La La La Human Steps, Louise Lecavalier was among the most iconic dancers of her generation: strong, muscled, androgynous, punk. Moving with spectacular speed, precision and an athletic physicality, her commitment to dancing would ultimately transform the potential of what bodies within Western concert dance could do.Drawing on extensive oral history accounts and archival material, the book follows Lecavalier’s impact on the evolving aesthetic of La La La Human Steps, via the development of its early repertoire, and offers the first sustained account of her 1982 solo Non, Non, Non, je ne suis pas Mary Poppins. More, it tracks diverse influences and sources for the repertoire, complicating understandings of nationalism in Québec, while marking the significance of the collective in generating new aesthetics. What emerges is a portrait of the dancer as artist, icon, labourer and mover of cultural discourse. Featuring an expansive set of photos and ephemera, including performance documentation by photographer/activist Linda Dawn Hammond, production images by choreographer Édouard Lock and street photography by key players in the 1980s Montréal scene, this study offers a critical and celebratory appraisal of Lecavalier’s unique contribution and the role of the dancer more broadly as a producer of culture.

Shortlisted for the 2022 TaPRA David Bradby Monograph PrizeApplied Theatre: A Pedagogy of Utopia offers a critical consideration of long-term applied and participatory theatre projects. In doing so, it provides a timely analysis of concepts that inform applied theatre and outlines a new way of thinking about making theatre with differing groups of participants.The book problematizes key concepts including safe spaces, voice, ethical practice and resistance. Selina Busby analyses applied theatre projects in India, the USA and the UK, in youth theatres, homeless shelters, prisons and with those living in informal housing settlements to consider her key question: what might a pedagogy of utopia look like? Drawing on 20 years of practice in a range of contexts, this book focuses on long-term interventions that raise troubling questions about applied theatre, cultural colonialism and power, while arguing that community or participatory theatre conversely has the potential to generate a resilient sense of optimism, or what Busby terms, a ‘nebulous utopia’.

From Oklahoma! and West Side Story, to Spring Awakening and Hamilton, dance remains one of the most important and key factors in musical theatre. Through the integration of song and dance in the 'dream ballets' of choreographers like Agnes De Mille; the triple threat performances of Jerome Robbins’ dancers; the signature style creation by choreographers like Bob Fosse with dancers like Gwen Verdon; and the contemporary, identity-driven work of choreographers like Camille A. Brown, the history of the body in movement is one that begs study and appreciation. Dance in Musical Theatre offers guidelines in how to read this movement by analyzing it in terms of composition and movement vocabulary whilst simultaneously situating it both historically and critically. This collection provides the tools, terms, history, and movement theory for reading, interpreting, and centralizing a discussion of dance in musical theatre, importantly, with added emphasis on women and artists of color. Bringing together musical theatre and dance scholars, choreographers and practitioners, this edited collection highlights musical theatre case studies that employ dance in a dramaturgically essential manner, tracking the emergence of the dancer as a key figure in the genre, and connecting the contributions to past and present choreographers. This collection foregrounds the work of the ensemble, incorporating firsthand and autoethnographic accounts that intersect with historical and cultural contexts. Through a selection of essays, this volume conceptualizes the function of dance in musical: how it functions diegetically as a part of the story or non-diegetically as an amplification of emotion, as well as how the dancing body works to reveal character psychology by expressing an unspoken aspect of the libretto, embodying emotions or ideas through metaphor or abstraction.Dance in Musical Theatre makes dance language accessible for instructors, students, and musical theatre enthusiasts, providing the tools to critically engage with the work of important choreographers and dancers from the beginning of the 20th century to today.

Drawing on thirty years of making theatre with objects, this field-defining book maps the terrain of applied puppetry.Through a range of case studies both personal and practical, Matt Smith offers a reflective and engaging study which provides makers, thinkers and students alike with a toolkit for thinking about and making puppetry in community settings.Through eight chapters, Smith muses on the nature of creativity, explores approaches to puppetry through ecology, and considers how puppets and objects affect the act of making and – in turn – how they affect those who make, use and experience them in performance.Along the way, Applied Puppetry offers practical exercises in theatre-making, demonstrates the political power of puppetry beyond borders, and interrogates the limitations and possibilities of puppetry and object theatre in local communities, volatile contexts and difficult circumstances.

Since its founding by Joseph Papp in the 1950s, The Public Theater has been an American artistic leader defined by its breadth of programming, from Hair and A Chorus Line, to Free Shakespeare in the Park. With the recent critical and financial success of Fun Home and Hamilton, and its emphasis on new play development, The Public’s contemporary history has been equally remarkable, even as world crises and social changes have tested the mettle of its foundation of accessible and “radically inclusive” theatre for all. One Public: New York’s Public Theater in the Era of Oskar Eustis presents the broader organization, its creative methodology, and its enormous growth over the past 20 years. Framed by the tenure and leadership of its current artistic director, the book tells the contemporary story, recorded over many interviews with iconic practitioners and performers ranging from Diane Paulus, Tony Kushner and Lynn Nottage to Kevin Kline, Chelsea Clinton and Lin-Manuel Miranda.Case-study driven, One Public uses oral history accounts and authorial experience to illuminate The Public Theater, Eustis and their cultural influence on the city of New York and the greater United States. The story highlights the successes and challenges of an institution at once espousing a mission of inclusivity and community-based arts creation, while also developing Broadway hits and international fame.

This in-depth and original study examines 100 productions and analyses why George Abbott's name became synonymous with the 'golden age' of Broadway. What did Abbott contribute? How did he work? How did he innovate the industry? How did he survive so long? All of these inquiries, and more, lead to the most fundamental question of all: what exactly was the famous “Abbott touch”?For sixty years, George Abbott was a vital force in the American theatre. As an actor, playwright, director, librettist, play doctor, and producer, he laid his "touch" on approximately 100 New York productions, from The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees through to Once Upon a Mattress and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.Spanning this incredible figure’s work chronologically, each chapter of The Abbott Touch examines a period of creativity in his life, culminating in how he became the famous multi-hyphenate artist he is now celebrated as. Beginning with his early career in 1913 through to his work on the 1994 revival of Damn Yankees, this book analyses his key contributions to his primary works, all of which have relied on his genius. The first study of its kind, The Abbott Touch provides key insights into the working life of one of the 20th Century's most prolific theatre practitioners, as well as a vital history for theatre scholars and fans alike.

An illuminating history of the intimate group around Bertolt Brecht which produced some of the most important works of 20th-century drama, literature, and theory while in exile from Nazi Germany.Bertolt Brecht is recognized as one of the great literary figures of the 20th century. But was he a charismatic genius or an exploitative plagiarizer, and how did his commitment to socialism inform his art? For decades, opinions on Brecht have been polarized by these questions.Building on new archival research and previously unconsidered sources, Katherine Hollander offers a fresh historical perspective by de-centering Brecht and contextualizing him within a small group of peers. This book investigates how the members of this group understood their collaborative work in the context of their commitments to fighting fascism and building socialism. It illuminates a community that coalesced first in Vienna and Berlin and intensified as it moved into exile in Denmark after 1933. Beginning not with Brecht but with the actor Helene Weigel and her mentor, the Danish feminist Karin Michaëlis, the book takes seriously the women of the group and their ideas about socialism, gender, collaboration, and art. By the time the group shifted its center to Denmark, it included dramaturg and editor Margarete Steffin and social philosopher Walter Benjamin, and saw an increase in productivity and interdependence. Through careful study of writings and correspondence, this book reveals not just how the group worked but how they understood that work as an embodiment of their evolving ideas about socialism, antifascism, and collectivity. It suggests the understudied ways that collaboration has contributed to intellectual history, dissolving the false binary around Brecht and making way for new understandings of co-creation.

Using an autoethnographic approach, this book offers practical strategies and case studies to help scholars better perform the many roles of an academic.With academic formation at its foundational core, the book presents practical strategies aimed at facilitating academic performance, particularly in the areas of research-informed teaching, interdisciplinarity and collaboration, community engagement and the development of an international academic profile. The view of academia that emerges is a holistic and integrated one, with teaching often adopted as the locus where pedagogy connects with research and outreach. While the case studies presented are rooted in theatre and performance, the emerging concerns are relevant to anyone engaged in higher education.The book begins as a reflection on the author’s own university career, revolving around 15 years of experience at the University of Malta and consistent engagement with research methodologies, reflective teaching, networking, internationalization and the duties associated with administration and senior management positions. Building on these reflections, the book supports academics in the initial stages of their career who might be seeking guidance to navigate, or perform, their roles in academia, as well as more seasoned academics looking to revitalize aspects of their work.

The Anatomy of Art is a field guide for artists working in dance, theatre and performance.Twelve interrelated drivers of the creative process – including Time, Space, Relationship, Meaning, and Context & Culture – form a working map for inquiry.Through more than 1,000 questions, scores and frameworks, the book activates rehearsal, teaching and performance, keeping choice alive in the body.The book draws on three decades of devised dance and theatre and supports creative work of any scale that calls for bravery, personal vision and rigorous inquiry. It can be opened anywhere and used for a few minutes in the studio or throughout the life of a project.A preface by Marisa Tomei and short offerings from artists across three generations – including Bebe Miller, Brenda Dixon Gottschild, Deborah Hay, Emanuel Gat, and others – add pressure, contrast and lived intelligence.

The American story told through one of the country’s most celebrated art forms.Musical theatre has been no stranger to placing historical events on stage: from the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the first 'populist' President in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, through to the movement against the Vietnam War in Hair and the newsboys strike in Newsies; the musical form has long-explored and been inspired by the American story. Following on from the success of the hit musical Hamilton (2015) came a reshaping of the way early U.S. history is taught and written about. This second edition of American Musicals in Historical Context gives students a fresh look at history-based musicals, providing a synopsis, an overview of critical and audience reception, and historical context and analysis for 21 musicals.Featuring a new chapter on Suffs (2024), this volume examines musicals that have centered their themes, characters, and plots on some aspect of America's complex and ever-changing history. Each musical helps us rediscover pivotal national crises, key political decisions, defining moral choices, unspeakable and unresolved injustices, important and untold stories, defeats suffered, victories won in the face of monumental adversity, and the sacrifices borne publicly and privately in the process of creating the American narrative, one story at a time. Students will come away from the volume armed with the critical thinking skills necessary to discern fact from fiction in U.S. history.

For every West End and Broadway musical that’s running in London and New York, as well as shows across the world and on tour, a team of associate creatives is behind the scenes keeping them alive. But how does someone become this multi-faceted role, and what skills do they need in order to succeed?Being an Associate Director or Choreographer is an all-encompassing role that requires diplomacy, creativity, organisation, tact and efficiency; this book is the first all-inclusive guide written to help aspiring and practising creatives find their way into this vital part of the theatre industry ecosystem.Learn from an industry professional with years of experience in the field, and gain insight into every aspect of the associate role. Whether you are a young creative looking to work in the field or a seasoned professional looking to make the transition, this book will be accessible and relevant to all. Addressing the practical skills necessary to succeed in the role - from creating your own content to networking tips and advice on building relationships with fellow creatives – the core of this book takes you through what it is like ‘on the job’, from the rehearsal room, to opening night and beyond.Discover how to make working tables, charts and diagrams to help maintain a show, handle cast changes, work with understudies and swings as well as replicate the work in different circumstances time after time, within a specific professional brief.Combining industry expertise and practical advice from the best associates working in theatre today this much-needed guide ends by looking at how you can successfully become your own creative and use the skills discussed to flourish as a director or choreographer in musical theatre.

Cracking Shakespeare serves to demystify the process of speaking Shakespeare’s language, offering hands-on techniques for drama students, young actors and directors who are intimidated by rehearsing, performing and directing Shakespeare’s plays. For some artists approaching Shakespeare, the ability to capture the dynamic movement of thought from mind to mouth, and the paradox of using the formality of verse to express a realistic form of speech, can seem daunting. Cracking Shakespeare includes practical techniques and exercises to solve this dilemma – including supporting online video which demonstrate how to embody Shakespeare’s characters in rehearsal and performance – offering a toolkit that will free actors and directors from their fear of Shakespeare.The result of thirty years of acting, teaching and directing Shakespeare, Kelly Hunter’s Cracking Shakespeare is the ideal textbook for actors and directors looking for new ways to approach Shakespeare’s plays in a hands-on, down-to-earth style.

This volume responds to a renewed focus on tragedy in theatre and literary studies to explore conceptions of tragedy in the dramatic work of seventeen canonical American playwrights. For students of American literature and theatre studies, the assembled essays offer a clear framework for exploring the work of many of the most studied and performed playwrights of the modern era. Following a contextual introduction that offers a survey of conceptions of tragedy, scholars examine the dramatic work of major playwrights in chronological succession, beginning with Eugene O'Neill and ending with Suzan-Lori Parks. A final chapter provides a study of American drama since 1990 and its ongoing engagement with concepts of tragedy.The chapters explore whether there is a distinctively American vision of tragedy developed in the major works of canonical American dramatists and how this may be seen to evolve over the course of the twentieth century through to the present day. Among the playwrights whose work is examined are: Susan Glaspell, Langston Hughes, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, Lorraine Hansberry, Amiri Baraka, August Wilson, Marsha Norman and Tony Kushner. With each chapter being short enough to be assigned for weekly classes in survey courses, the volume will help to facilitate critical engagement with the dramatic work and offer readers the tools to further their independent study of this enduring theme of dramatic literature.