SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING
Chapter 1
Arnott, Peter D. Public and Performance in the Greek Theatre. London: Routledge, 1991.
A lively and accessible exploration of audience, actor, staging, and physical space in the ancient Greek theatre.
Beadle, Richard, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
A contemporary overview of the development of the medieval theatre, with a particular focus on the themes and production of the mystery cycles; reviews the traditional scholarship in light of new research and offers fresh ideas in a clear and straightforward manner.
Blau, Herbert. The Audience. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990.
A complex discussion of the relationship between the performance and the audience.
Boal, Augusto. The Rainbow of Desire. Translated by Adrian Jackson. New York: Routledge, 1995.
An analysis of the nature of theatre and its importance to society from the viewpoint of a director-producer who uses theatre to empower the oppressed; an accessible presentation of theory supported by many examples of performance techniques and themes, including a discussion of improvisational, participant-centered theatre.
Deegan, Mary Jo. The American Ritual Tapestry: Social Rules and Cultural Meanings. Westport: Greenwood, 1998.
An examination of social rituals in the United States in the late twentieth century, the rapidity with which hypermodern society generates change in ritual patterns, and the global impact of American social rituals.
Goffman, Erving. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday, 1959.
A detailed study of the construction of social roles using the language of the theatre as the foundation for describing human interaction.
Hawthorn, Audrey. Kwakiutl Art. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
A detailed description of Northwest Coast Native rituals, including both the ceremonial performances and the art objects such as masks, musical instruments, and feast vessels that were essential to the rituals; over 400 illustrations in color and black and white.
Jonaitis, Aldona. Chiefly Feasts: The Enduring Kwakiutl Potlatch. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1991.
This volume represents one of the most significant exhibits of Native American art. Essays explain the history of the Kwakwaka’wakw people, social organization, and the place of visual art and drama within the community. The book contains an exceptional collection of photographs of ceremonial objects and masks, with detailed explanations of their significance, as well as many early photographs of the landscape and villages.
Kirby, E. T. Ur-Drama: The Origins of Theatre. New York: New York University Press, 1975.
An investigation of the nature of shamanistic practice (religious ritual) as the basis for the development of theatre forms in different parts of the world; includes a brief discussion of Kwakiutl rituals as well as a more extended consideration of early Greek and Chinese practices.
Sorell, Walter. The Other Face: The Mask in the Arts. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1973.
An exploration of the place of masks in various communities and in various types of performance, including dance, plays, and puppetry. With 121 illustrations of historical and modern uses of masks, Sorell provides philosophical and psychological insight into artistic expression through masks.
Chapter 2
Bate, Jonathan, and Russell Jackson, eds. Shakespeare: An Illustrated Stage History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1966.
A thoughtful chronicle of the changing styles of performing Shakespeare from Elizabethan times to the present. Models of theatre buildings and stages, set and costume designs, directorial approaches, and actors’ commentary on their roles all create a vivid impression of each age. The text highlights issues in the plays as well as the concerns and values of different time periods.
Flanagan, Hallie. Arena. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940.
A documentation of the one attempt in American history to forge a major relationship between the government and the theatre. This book outlines the history of the Federal Theatre Project set up during the Depression to provide work for the unemployed and to encourage theatrical participation and expression throughout the nation. It explores the triumphs of theatrical innovations, the brilliance of such artists as Orson Welles and John Houseman, and the relationship between the many theatre ventures and the U.S. government, which first mandated a national theatre and then, for political reasons, shut it down.
Fugard, Athol; Kani, John; and Ntshona, Wilson. Statements, New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1986.
A collection of notable, early playscripts devised in collaboration by Athol Fugard with the actors, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, distinguished by the humor with which they interpret almost unbearably painful subjects. One of these plays, The Island, is featured in Chapter 2 and addresses the incarceration of those who opposed apartheid. Another, Sizwe Bansi is Dead, focuses on the passbook laws that governed the lives of black South Africans, limiting where they could live and work.
Garber, Marjorie. Shakespeare After All. New York: Pantheon Books, 2004.
An illuminating and accessible study of all of Shakespeare’s plays by one of the leading Shakespeare scholars. This book begins with an introduction to the times in which the plays were written and presents some of the difficult questions of interpretation. Each play is discussed in terms of theme, plot, and character. The book concludes with suggested reading and film lists for each play.
Macherras, Colin, ed. Chinese Theatre: From Its Origins to the Present Day. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1983.
A strong overview of major forms of Chinese theatre from their origins in the thirteenth century to the present. This book is particularly useful in assessing the relationship between theatre and society in China, including the upheavals and complexities of the twentieth century.
Taylor, Jane. Ubu and the Truth Commission, Cape Town: University of Cape Town Press, 1998.
The script of the play Ubu and the Truth Commission developed and produced by the Handspring Puppet Company. Introductory notes by the principle artists: William Kentridge, Adrian Kohler, Basil Jones, and Jane Taylor, explain the context for the play and its relationship to social change in South Africa. Puppet characters perform the statements of witnesses who testify to the suffering experienced during apartheid while human actors take an absurdist approach to the representation of the South African power structure.
Werthein, Albert. The Dramatic Art of Athol Fugard: From South Africa to the World. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000.
A study of the work of the South African playwright Athol Fugard, who is also a highly regarded actor and director. Plays discussed include The Blood Knot, A Lesson from Aloes, Sizwe Bansi Is Dead, and Master Harold . . . and the Boys. These plays exemplify Fugard’s concerns with relationships, race, and the significance of the theatre and art in bringing about social change.
Yan, Haiping, ed. Theatre and Society: An Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Drama. New York: Sharpe, 1998.
A collection of the most recent plays from China, including music drama and modern spoken drama; discusses the revival of drama in China following the damage done to the theatre during the Cultural Revolution.
Chapter 3
Barlow, William. Looking Up at Dawn: The Emergence of Blues Culture. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1989.
A study of the blues from its origins in the rural South to its development in urban areas. Barlow explores the social context as a constant background to the musical analysis; he examines the blues’ origins, the history of movements and individual artists, and the themes and analysis of individual blues songs.
Berlin, Ira. Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press/Harvard University Press, 2003.
A major study of the history of slavery in the United States from the seventeenth century until the Civil War. This landmark study analyzes the social consequences of slavery for those held captive and the place of slavery in the economy of the South.
DuBois, W. E. B. The Souls of Black Folk. 1903. Reprint Mineola, NY: Dover, 1994.
The classic portrait of African American culture at the turn of the twentieth century.
Fulop, Timothy E., and Albert J., Raboteau, eds. African American Religion: Interpretive Essays in History and Culture. New York: Routledge, 1997.
An informative collection of essays that addresses a number of the questions raised in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone about Christianity and traditional African religions.
Harrison, Alferdteen, ed. Black Exodus: The Great Migration from the American South. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1991.
An analysis of the causes of African American migration from South to North and the resulting social changes.
Hay, Samuel. African American Theatre. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press, 1994.
An analysis of African American theatre from 1898 to the 1990s, offering a social and political critique of the position of black plays and performers in the United States. The theories of Alain Locke and W. E. B. DuBois form the foundation of the discussion.
Nadel, Alan, ed. May All Your Fences Have Gates: Essays on the Drama of August Wilson. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1994.
A very helpful collection of essays exploring various aspects of Wilson’s plays, including an extensive annotated bibliography of Wilson’s writing, interviews, and critical responses to his work.
Savran, David. In Their Own Words: Contemporary American Playwrights. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1998.
A compilation of interviews with contemporary American playwrights, including August Wilson, Anna Deavere Smith, José Rivera, Ntozake Shange, and Luis Valdez.
Schwartzman, Myron. Romare Bearden: His Life and Art. With a foreword by August Wilson. New York: Abrams, 1990.
A thorough exploration of Bearden’s development as an artist, the forms of his work, and his inspirations and influences; includes outstanding reproductions of all Bearden’s major paintings, including Mill Hand’s Lunch Bucket and The Piano Lesson.
Turner, Elizabeth Hutton, ed. Jacob Lawrence: The Migration Series. With an introductory essay by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Washington, DC: Rappahannock, 1993.
The story of African American migration told visually through sixty paintings. The hardships and courage of Lawrence’s subjects are expressed through bold colors and striking compositions in this extraordinarily moving work of American art. The paintings are supported by insightful essays about social issues, as well as many photographs of the artist and the times.
Wilson, August. Three Plays. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1991.
An anthology that includes Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, with an eloquent introduction by August Wilson and a concluding essay—“August Wilson’s Blues Poetics”—by Paul Carter Harrison.
Chapter 4
Bartow, Arthur. Training of the American Actor. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2006.
An introduction to some of the major approaches to actor training in America. Each chapter is written by a currently practicing expert, who represent the different approaches of Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen, Jerzy Grotowski, and Mary Overlie, among others.
Block, Giles, and Rylance, Mark. Speaking the Speech: An Actor's Guide to Shakespeare, Nick Hern Books, 2013.
An investigation of Shakespeare's language to build actors understanding of the text in order to speak the lines with greater confidence and authority. Addresses character construction, the differences between speeches in prose, rhymed verse, and unrhymed verse, and the use of punctuation and silences.
Cole, Toby, and Helen Krich Chinoy, eds. Actors on Acting. New York: Crown, 1970.
A collection of statements on the nature of acting in the Western tradition by theatre practitioners and philosophers from the time of the ancient Greek theatre up to the mid-twentieth century in Europe and the United States.
Hagen, Uta. A Challenge for the Actor. New York: Scribner, 1991.
An impassioned discussion of acting by a devoted proponent of internal, psychological acting; includes a personal appraisal of the development of the American theatre as well as an analysis of roles and an explanation of acting approaches.
Hill, Holly. Actors’ Lives: On and off the American Stage. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1993.
A collection of interviews with a wide range of American actors including Olympia Dukakis, Cherry Jones, James Earl Jones, and Richard Thomas; interweaves personal and professional materials.
Jenkins, Ron. Acrobats of the Soul: Comedy and Virtuosity in Contemporary American Theatre. New York: Theatre Communication Group, 1988.
A book on American clowning, including an excellent chapter on Bill Irwin, with a detailed description of his performance style and an excerpt from the script of The Regard of Flight.
Olivier, Laurence. Laurence Oliver on Acting. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1986.
Observations by one of the great English actors on his approach to roles and the work of other actors. The book begins with the comment, “For me acting is a technical problem.” Olivier explores extensively, but not exclusively, the external approach to acting.
Seham, Amy E. Whose Improv Is It Anyway: Beyond Second City. Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 2001.
An examination of the evolution of improvisational comedy in the United States during the latter part of the twentieth century. The author considers both the nature of improvisational performance and the way issues of gender, race, and power affect improvisational companies.
Smith, Anna Deavere. Letters to a Young Artist, New York: Anchor Books, 2006.
Anna Deavere Smith is a prominent actor, playwright, and teacher, who appears on stage in one-woman plays of her own creation, in film, and on television. In this book, she offers young artists the wisdom she has accumulated over a lifetime of working in the theatre. Her advice is personal and inspiring, probing deeply into what it means to be an artist.
Sonenberg, Janet. The Actor Speaks. New York: Random House, 1996.
A collection of interviews regarding the craft of acting and actors’ approaches to their roles; includes interviews with the American actors Frances McDormand, Joe Mantello, and Stephen Spinella.
Spolin, Viola. Improvisation for the Theatre. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1963.
A rich collection of exercises structured to build skill and confidence in improvisation with a clear theoretical foundation. A good source for actors, directors, and teachers doing drama in school situations.
Stanislavski, Constantin. An Actor Prepares. With an introduction by Sir John Gielgud. New York: Theatre Arts Books, 1984.
One of the essential books on acting. This text introduces Stanislavsky’s “method,” the most famous approach to internal psychological acting. (Stanislavsky’s first and last names are spelled differently. Konstantin Stanislavsky or Constantin Stanislavski—depending on the particular translation from Russian.) First published in the United States in 1936, the book addresses such areas as concentration, relaxation, the uses of the imagination, the separation and organization of a role into units, and the technique of drawing on one’s own emotional resources. Stanislavsky’s theories on acting are made accessible by showing them in practice as a supposedly fictional director works with a group of student actors.
Suzuki, Tadashi. The Way of Acting. Translated by J. Thomas Rimer. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1986.
A presentation of a philosophy of performance in relation to society. In an examination of the nō theatre of Japan, Suzuki explores the way the modern international theatre may draw upon earlier Japanese traditions.
Wilson, Garff B. A History of Acting. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1966.
A chronicle of acting styles in the early American theatre from the nineteenth to the first part of the twentieth century.
Chapter 5
Ball, William. A Sense of Direction. New York: Drama Book Publishers, 1984.
An accessible discussion of the art of directing that is particularly strong in analyzing the relationship between directors and actors.
Bogart, Anne. A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre. New York: Routledge, 2001.
An investigation of the creative process from the perspective of the director, Bogart explores artistic choices through thoughtful responses to her own work and the work of other directors and artists.
Cole, Toby, and Helen Krich Chinoy, eds. Directors on Directing. New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1963.
A book that begins with a good history of directing, starting with developments in the nineteenth century; includes statements on directing by a number of prominent directors working from about 1850 to 1960 as well as directorial notes and plans from famous productions.
Delgado, Maria, and Paul Heritage. In Contact with the Gods? Directors Talk Theatre. New York: Manchester University Press, 1996.
A collection of interviews with an international group of some of the most prominent directors working today; includes an introduction to the career of each director.
Diamond, David, and Terry Berliner, eds. Stage Directors Handbook: Opportunities for Directors and Choreographers. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1998.
A resource book for aspiring directors that details training programs, theatre opportunities, the acquisition of agents and managers, and helpful books and periodicals; includes discussions by young directors on how they started their own theatre companies.
Graham, Scott, and Hoggett, Steven, The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre, London: Routledge, 2009.
Stephen Hogget is noted in Chapters 5 and 11 of The Creative Spirit as a choreographer and director whose innovative methods are being applied to productions as diverse as The Glass Menagerie, Black Watch, and the musical Once. In this book, Hoggett, with co-director Scott Graham, presents the improvisational exercises and methods they use with actors in their company, Frantic Assembly, to devise new work for the theatre. This is a helpful book for actors as well as directors.
Grotowski, Jerzy. Towards a Poor Theatre. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1968.
A detailed discussion of the theory and practice of Grotowski’s Laboratory Theatre in Poland; includes photographs and acting exercises that help to clarify Grotowski’s highly stylized theatre, which focused almost exclusively on the art of the actor.