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Studying Plays

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( 29 ratings, 2 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Studying Plays is a comprehensive and accessible guide to the critical study of drama, now in its 4th edition. It uses familiar classic and contemporary examples such as Shakespeare's King Lear, Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good to explore essential elements of play texts including character, dialogue, plot, and theatrical space. The latest edition offers expanded guidance on studying plays as live and recorded performances, with new examples from 21st-century playwrights, deeper insights into audience engagement, and a dedicated section analysing theatre of witness, monodrama, and postdramatic texts.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$4299
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

An invaluable resource for students and instructors of drama and theatre studies, as well as anyone interested in understanding plays both as texts and live performances. Particularly suited for undergraduate audiences and those studying contemporary as well as classic drama.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Now in its fourth edition, this is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the critical study of drama. Using familiar examples of classic and contemporary works such as Shakespeare’s King Lear, Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good, the book explores the essential elements of play texts, from character, dialogue, and plot to theatrical space.

With more in-depth guidance on how to study plays in and as performance, both live and in recordings available online, the fourth edition of Studying Plays now includes:

  • New examples throughout the book drawn from a range of 21st-century plays by established and emergent writers for diverse theatres and companies.
  • New explorations of how plays structure and engage audience response.
  • A complete new section on the analysis of theatre of witness and testimony; monodrama; and postdramatic texts.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Drama Magazine praises it as a seminal textbook that skilfully situates dramatic scripts within socio-political historical contexts, providing detailed attention and highly usable frameworks. Jonathan Pitches, Professor of Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds, highlights the new section on postdramatic theatre as empowering for students seeking precision and insight. W. B. Worthen of Barnard College commends its multidisciplinary engagement ranging from formal elements to performance cultures.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781350007321

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 January 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic

Edition: 4th edition

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 232.0mm

Weight: 400g

Pages: 248

About the Author

Mick Wallis is Professor Emeritus of Performance and Culture at the University of Leeds, UK. He is co-author (with Simon Shepherd) of Drama/Theatre/Performance (2004).

Simon Shepherd is Professor Emeritus of Theatre at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, UK. He is the author of The Cambridge Introduction to Performance Theory (2016) and Modern British Theatre (2010) and co-author with Mick Wallis of Drama/Theatre/Performance (2004).

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