PN2101.C63

Includes bibliographical references and index

Part 1 The Theatre: Its Elements Chapter 1. What is the Theatre? Chapter 2. What is a Play? Part 2, The Past Chapter 3. The Ancients Chapter 4. The Middle Ages Chapter 5. The Shakespearean Era Chapter 6. The Theatre of Asia Chapter 7. The Royal Theatre Part 3 The Present Chapter 8. The Modern Theatre: Realism Chapter 9. The Modern Theatre: Antirealism Chapter 10. The Musical Theatre Chapter 11. Theatre Today: What, Who, and Where? Part 4 The Practitioners Chapter 12. The Actor Chapter 13. The Playwright Chapter 14. Designers and Technicians Chapter 15. The Director Chapter 16. The Critic

This lively introduction to theatre offers equal measures of appreciation of theatrical arts, history of performance, and descriptions of the collaborative theatrical crafts. The author’s enthusiasm for and knowledge of the current theatre, highlighted by contemporary production shots from around the world, put the students in the front row. The text includes extensive excerpts from seven plays: Prometheus Bound, Oedipus Tyrannos, The York Cycle, Romeo and Juliet, The Bourgeois Gentleman, The Three Sisters, and Happy Days, as well as shorter excerpts from The Rover and A Doll's House.