eBook downloads, eBook resources & eBook authors
Behind today's headlines stands an unobtrusive army of science advisors—panels of scientific, medical, and engineering experts evaluate the safety of the food we eat, the drugs we take, and the cars we drive. This book studies, theoretically and empirically, the social process through which the credibility of expert advice is produced, challenged, and sustained.
Science on Stage is the first full-length study of the phenomenon of "science plays"--theatrical events that weave scientific content into the plot lines of the drama. The book investigates the tradition of science on the stage from the Renaissance to the present, focusing in particular on the current wave of science playwriting. Drawing on extensive interviews with playwrights and directors, Kirsten Shepherd-Barr discusses such works as Michael Frayn's Copenhagen and Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. She asks questions such as, What accounts for the surge of interest in putting science on the stage? What areas of science seem most popular with playwrights, and why? How has the tradition evolved throughout the centuries? What currents are defining it now? And what are some of the debates and controversies surrounding the use of science on stage? Organized by scientific themes, the book examines selected contemporary plays that represent a merging of theatrical form and scientific content--plays in which the science is literally enacted through the structure and performance of the play. Beginning with a discussion of Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, the book traces the history of how scientific ideas (quantum mechanics and fractals, for example) are dealt with in theatrical presentations. It discusses the relationship of science to society, the role of science in our lives, the complicated ethical considerations of science, and the accuracy of the portrayal of science in the dramatic context. The final chapter looks at some of the most recent and exciting developments in science playwriting that are taking the genre in innovative directions and challenging the audience's expectations of a science play. The book includes a comprehensive annotated list of four centuries of science plays, which will be useful for teachers, students, and general readers alike.
This intriguing, authoritative book tracks stage representations of lesbians and gay men from Oscar Wilde to the present day and examines scores of British and American plays and playwrights, including works by Wilde, Maugham, Coward, Hellman, O'Neill, Le Roi Jones, and Joe Orton.
"This book focuses on the performance of classical music, but the basic principles are the same for all kinds of music. Musicians need to make their audiences receptive and to give them a lasting, positive impression. Just as classical training lays a foundation for the performance of other kinds of music, the basics of stage presence outlines here may be adopted to all kinds of performances, by all kinds of musicians." - page xiii.
"Stage to Stage captures Josh's perspective on the notable events that illuminated his extraordinary journey to Broadway. Starting with his Stages album, which featured Broadway classics, the book chronicles the past two + years. Also included are behind the scenes photos and key moments from the making of the Stages Live Television special and the On Stage world tour, culminating in his experiences surrounding his first-ever Broadway performances and his first Tony Nomination."--Publisher
Singing on stage can be a daunting prospect for actors, particularly for those who have not sung before. Yet singing should be an essential part of every actor's toolkit. Singing on Stage: An Actor's Guide gives an insight for the first time into the vocal techniques and practical approaches that have been developed over generations as an integral part of the training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Jane Streeton and Philip Raymond are highly experienced performers and teachers; their book encourages each actor to explore their own authentic voice as opposed to offering a 'one-size-fits-all' or 'quick-fix' approach. Written in an accessible, friendly and enabling style, Singing on Stage: An Actor's Guide is packed with exercises to develop the actor's skills and gives an overview of: • elements of technique • how to work on a song • the process of singing theatrically • how to choose the best songs for you Featuring inspirational listening suggestions and the observations of successful performers and practitioners, Singing on Stage: An Actor's Guide is the must-have companion for complete beginners as well as for experienced actors who wish to develop their understanding of singing on stage.
For any play originating in a different culture and society to be favourably received in English translation, timing and other factors of reception are often as important as the purely linguistic aspects. This book focuses on the problems of reception and translation into English encountered by European playwrights now regularly staged at British theatres, such as Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov, Brecht, Anouilh, Lorca and Pirandello, among others. Introduced by discussions highlighting different approaches to translation in general and the difficulties inherent in the translation of drama in particular, the book concludes by looking at what is lost in translation and the means by which adaptions and new versions may help to restore the balance.
Since the eighteenth century, classical scholars have generally agreed that the Greek playwright Aristophanes did not as a matter of course write "political" plays. Yet, according to an anonymous Life of Aristophanes, when Dionysius the tyrant of Syracuse wanted to know about the government of Athens, Plato sent him a copy of Aristophanes' Clouds. In this boldly revisionist work, Michael Vickers convincingly argues that in his earlier plays, Aristophanes in fact commented on the day-to-day political concerns of Athenians. Vickers reads the first six of Aristophanes' eleven extant plays in a way that reveals the principal characters to be based in large part on Pericles and his ward Alcibiades. According to Vickers, the plays of Aristophanes—far from being nonpolitical—actually allow us to gauge the reaction of the Athenian public to the events that followed Pericles' death in 429 B.C., to the struggle for the political succession, and to the problems presented by Alcibiades' emergence as one of the most powerful figures in the state. This view of Aristophanes reaffirms the central role of allegory in his work and challenges all students of ancient Greece to rethink long-held assumptions about this important playwright.
