Theatres of the World – serie

African Theatres & Performances looks at four specific performance forms in Africa and uses this to question the tendency to employ western frames of reference to analyze and appreciate theatrical performance. The book examines:masquerade theatre in Eastern Nigeriathe trance and possession ritual theatre of the Hausa of Northern Nigeriathe musical and oral tradition of the Mandinka of Senegal comedy and satire of the Bamana in Mali.Osita Okagbue describes each performance in detail and discusses how each is made, who it is made by and for, and considers the relationship between maker and viewer and the social functions of performance and theatre in African societies. The discussions are based on first-hand observation and interviews with performers and spectators. African Theatres & Performances gives a fascinating account of these practices, carefully tracing the ways in which performances and theatres are unique and expressive of their cultural context.

Indian Folk Theatres is theatre anthropology as a lived experience, containing detailed accounts of recent folk theatre shows as well as historical and cultural context. It looks at folk theatre forms from three corners of the Indian subcontinent:Tamasha, song and dance entertainments from MaharastraChhau, the lyrical dance theatre of BiharTheru Koothu, satirical, ritualised epics from Tamil Nadu.The contrasting styles and contents are depicted with a strongly practical bias, harnessing expertise from practitioners, anthropologists and theatre scholars in India. Indian Folk Theatres makes these exceptionally versatile and up-beat theatre forms accessible to students and practitioners everywhere.

African Theatres & Performances looks at four specific performance forms in Africa and uses this to question the tendency to employ western frames of reference to analyze and appreciate theatrical performance. The book examines:masquerade theatre in Eastern Nigeriathe trance and possession ritual theatre of the Hausa of Northern Nigeriathe musical and oral tradition of the Mandinka of Senegal comedy and satire of the Bamana in Mali.Osita Okagbue describes each performance in detail and discusses how each is made, who it is made by and for, and considers the relationship between maker and viewer and the social functions of performance and theatre in African societies. The discussions are based on first-hand observation and interviews with performers and spectators. African Theatres & Performances gives a fascinating account of these practices, carefully tracing the ways in which performances and theatres are unique and expressive of their cultural context.

Indian Folk Theatres is theatre anthropology as a lived experience, containing detailed accounts of recent folk theatre shows as well as historical and cultural context. It looks at folk theatre forms from three corners of the Indian subcontinent:Tamasha, song and dance entertainments from MaharastraChhau, the lyrical dance theatre of BiharTheru Koothu, satirical, ritualised epics from Tamil Nadu.The contrasting styles and contents are depicted with a strongly practical bias, harnessing expertise from practitioners, anthropologists and theatre scholars in India. Indian Folk Theatres makes these exceptionally versatile and up-beat theatre forms accessible to students and practitioners everywhere.

Leon Rubin and I Nyoman Sedana, both international theatre professionals as well as scholars, collaborate to give an understanding of performance culture in Bali from inside and out.The book describes four specific forms of contemporary performance that are unique to Bali:Wayang shadow-puppet theatreSanghyang ritual trance performanceGambuh classical dance-dramathe virtuoso art of Topeng masked theatre.These culturally unique and beautiful theatrical events are contextualised within religious, intellectual and social backgrounds to give unparalleled insight into the mind and world of the Balinese performer.