3 comments about Past into Present: Effective Techniques for First-Person Historical Interpretation.

1. I have participated as a living history first person interpreter for over 6 years, and have been a visitor at many living history sites across the country. I am also the period costume coordinator for a living history site. I have seen first hand many effective and ineffective presentations.
   
   While reading and searching for textbooks for our upcoming "Dame School" program for young ladies at our site, I came across this book. Since the text is clear and written to be interesting as well as educational,I have chosen it as a textbook for our "school". I believe our young students will be able to relate well to the book, and that we will be able to use this book to guide them to more effectual presentations. I also highly recommend it for adults.
   
   This book is very good at giving hints on how to engage visitors in conversations useful in imparting stories of the site one is working, as well as methods to diffuse potential problems. It presents varied types of sites which were reviewed by the author, and gives good examples of what is effective and what is not. This book also discusses class distinctions and first person interpretations of difficult and traumatic events and activities of the past, such as slavery. To give a well rounded view of history, first person interpreters can't just present the rosy side of life!
   
   The extensive listing of living history sites which is in the back section of the book would be very useful to persons who are considering the hobby or profession of first person interpretation.



2. Television, movies, computers, even video games have changed the way we look at history. Recently written books on history are now in a style that gives the reader a greater understanding of what our founding father's and 19th century pioneer's daily lives were like.
   Everything, it seems, is three dimensional today. Try visiting an American History museum - it's not your father's museum, that's for sure!
   In her book, "Past Into Present," Ms. Roth just about covers every aspect of presenting history in all its glory and gore by using the process known as 1st person. First person brings the folks from the distant past back to life by having a re-enactor or a museum docent dress in period clothing, doing a job or a chore from the past, and speaking as if they actually ARE that long-dead person, alive again, here to share their knowlegde of times gone by. I, myself, impose a 1st person technique for my civilian impression in the 21st Michigan Civil War reenactors, and I must say that "Past into Present" truly helped me understand the importance of what I am representing while doing my impression. Through her book Ms. Roth also helped me see the pros and cons of being a 1st person living historian as well - how to stay in character, for instance, without jumping back and forth between first and third person.
   From what I have seen at some re-enactments - and even at a museum - some living historians do not give the past the justice it deserves. They are the ones who should own this book as well. I've learned to give the reverence these folks from the past that we are emulating the respect they so deserve.
   The writer can get a bit wordy (so can I, can't you tell?) but if you are one who is a bit more passionate about the past and would rather get deeper involved in history than the average person, then I would suggest you taking a gander at this book and read how you can become one from the past into the present at your next reenactment.



3. As a new recruit in the growing international army of Civil War reenactors, I was anxious to evolve past the usual march-and-shoot mass maneuvers into effective first-person interaction with spectators. But having never even seen a living-history interpreter, I wasn't sure what to do. Then I found Ms. Roth's delightful book on the internet! She interviewed scores of experienced interpreters at the best living-history museums in the United States and Canada to find out how they hook -- and keep -- the interests of their visitors. The result is some imaginative out-of-the-box approaches that make visitors think they're being entertained instead of educated! The fun that the interpreters obviously have with their roles is infectious -- I could hardly wait to try it! This is a MUST read for anyone who's ever thought of going to a historical reinactment as either a participant or a spectator.

2 comments about The Open Door.

1. This is really an extension of Brook's ideas in "The Empty Space." It is my favorite work of his, as the writing is much simpler and digestable than I am used to, yet it is no less insightful and inspiring.

   I feel that anyone who loves theater should read Brook: I always come away from his ideas feeling inspired and invigorated: my mind spinning with countless new possibilities. Thinking both as a director and an actor, I find Brook very useful. Perhaps his best quality is his love of experimentation- of finding what works but being ready to reject it for something better. Brook is an explorer more than a theorist. This collection of essays/speeches is an important aid to understanding where his journeys have taken him in his understanding of what makes good theatre.




2. This is a collection of three shorter pieces: essays, transcriptions of speeches, etc. The book is well-edited and provides a good insight into the experiences which seem to have motivated Brook to do the kind of ground-breaking he is noted for. However, if you're looking for a single, clear thesis, try a different book.

   I highly recommend this book.

2 comments about The Temptation to Tango: Journeys of Intimacy and Desire.

1. An easily read, insightful book about Argentine tango which is a cult favorite amongst tango dancers. Of all my books on tango, this is my favorite, and becomes the favorite of most of my friends in the tango community once they get their hands on it. Part guide book, part instructional manual, the authors shine when they relate their stories of the very human and touching nature of this dance, particularly from their personal perspective. I highly recommend this book to those just curious about the subject, as well as to tangueros around the world who will laugh and cry with the authors as they relate their stories of the temptation to tango!



2. I red many books of tango, because I m so curious & wanna be good dancer.
   I quite enjoyed this book.
   At 1st look, it could be just "general" guide for Argentine Tango dancing, but this book could give you much deeper infomations. The writer is advanced level's "tango maniaque" dancers who have some years experiece.
   It's like David tuner of "a passion for Tango". Seems they did good research and interview to prepare this book. I found much humour & deep psychological thought inside. All story they are telling is so "REAL". I apreciated so much.
   The last part of this book, they have many practical infomations to participate in tango festival and trip to Buenos Aires. Specially I you live in North west coast of USA, it ll help you much.

5 comments about The Spanish Tragedy (New Mermaids).

1. There have been great controversies over whether The Spanish Tragedy is the greatest English play to have ever been composed, or rather a fantastic counterfeit of past playwrights. Either way, this revenge tragedy delves into the realm of human suffering and selfishness while searching for answers in the heavens or in the wicked wheel of Fortune. While some characters are a bit melodramatic, one must be aware that melodrama was one of the few ways to properly express emotion on the Elizabethan stage. It's a quick read, but not for the light of heart or mind when dealing with the fanciful language and tranfers between long and even-redundant soliloquies and sporadic stichomythia. Don't expect this to be any sort of heart-warming play; there's a reason it's called a tragedy.



2. The Spanish Tragedy (1592) was a remarkably popular Elizabethan revenge play that substantially influenced other Elizabethan playwrights including Shakespeare. The gruesome, neo-Senecan melodrama, Titus Andronicus, dates from 1594; Hamlet was first performed in 1602.
   
   I knew little about The Spanish Tragedy at the time of my first reading (and review) in 2003. In retrospect I failed to appreciate fully Thomas Kyd's Senecan framework, especially the significance of the prologue by the ghost of Andrea, the role of the supernatural Revenge, and the varied scenes in the underworld of Roman mythology - all found in the first act. I am not certain whether I even realized that the ghost Andrea and Revenge remained on stage throughout the play, invisible to the actors, but clearly visible to the audience.
   
   I wrote that although I was confused with intervention of pagan gods and that the numerous murders seemed excessive, I still considered Kyd's tragedy warranted four stars. Having recently returned to The Spanish Tragedy (as part of a collection of Elizabethan revenge tragedies), I am now much more enthusiastic (a solid five stars).
   
   I no longer find the two intertwined plots to be puzzling. I now see the thoughtless injustice suffered by Hieronimo in the Spanish court as mirrored in the random, capricious behavior of the gods: the confusion the deceased Andrea encountered upon entering the underworld, Proserpine's arbitrary, even frivolous suggestion for Revenge to aid Andrea, and the gods's uneven punishments meted out to the murderers of Horatio (and to others only marginally involved with crime). This disturbing parallel reflects Kyd's nihilistic and pessimistic view of life: not even the intervention of the gods offers any assurance of rational justice.
   
   New Mermaids edition: The footnotes come in two forms. The first provides definitions for unfamiliar or archaic words, or words whose meanings have changed significantly. The second offers explanations of plot subtleties, differences in interpretations by experts, and possible influences on later plays by Shakespeare ans others. Also, translations are provided for Kyd's frequent quotations in Latin, many from Seneca's writings.



3. Hey everyone! Don't even bother paying ANY attention to the ...peter kline spouted in his horrendous review of The Spanish Tragedy. Shakespeare wrote Kyd's masterpiece? Give me a break! And I suppose you're also going to say that Shakespeare secretly wrote Marlowe's plays as well, right? Kudos to Mr. Richard for being a well-informed reader of the English Classics! And as for Mr. Kline, you should do some research ...



4. J.R. Mulryne's edition of *The Spanish Tragedy* is without a doubt the best that may at present be bought: informative, helpful, intelligent and accurate in introducing the text, presenting it, and glossing difficult words and phrases where necessary. The play is among the most exciting and artistic of its period. Kyd writes, and constructs his plot, with a level of skill comparable to that of Shakespeare, who was much influenced by *The Spanish Tragedy*, particularly in writing *Hamlet*, which is possibly yet "richer", but undoubtedly less clear and focused. Kyd shows us in an extremely sophisticated way the workings of revenge, both at an earthly and at a supernatural level. From the beginning the audience knows, in a way that the characters do not, that the supernatural world will insist on revenge. The pain of those who suffer injustice here on earth and clamour for revenge is painful to behold. Ultimately, however, in a baffling way, evildoers are punished: Hieronimo, the main character, manages to take matters into his own hands after exhausting all other possibilities, and thus ironically enacts the wishes of the higher powers. The FORM of Hieronimo's revenge is extraordinarily interesting: under the cloak of art - of a theatrical plot - he manages to kill his evil opponents quite easily. The tension between "art" and "life" is thus handled by Kyd in a very innovative fashion which still shocks modern spectators and readers. The role of language, too, is called into question: much of the play demonstrates that in real life finally action does speak louder than words, which often do not make their point or simply get ignored. Any reader who wants to get a notion of the superb quality of plays written by Shakespeare's contemporaries is certain to admire and enjoy this striking work of art. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia



5. There is growing evidence that while this play was attributed to Thomas Kyd on the slimmest possible evidence, it is actually an early play of Shakespeare. It's similarity to Hamlet has so often been noted that Kyd is supposed to have written a hypothetical earlier version of Hamlet that has never been shown to exist. The way to figure out for yourself who wrote this play is to read some of it aloud. You'll find that its speaches have a musical quality that echoes those in Henry V (which may have been written at about the same time). Also, compare one of its early scenes with a very similar one in Macbeth. The more you read this play aloud, considering the music of its poetry rather than just its imagery and thematic strucure (it's very early Shakespeare) the more you're likely to be struck that here is a masterpiee forgotten (except to scholars) that is worthy of frequent theatrical performance. Perhaps you'll be moved to produce it yourself.

No comments about The Taming of the Shrew (The New Cambridge Shakespeare).

3 comments about Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance.

1. All in all, I'm touched by Deborah Jowitt's well meaning and comprehensive biography of Jerry Robbins. She digs under the surface of his ballet and Broadway work and finds a whole lot more than I had ever imagined. Again and again she returns to the paradox of the name, how "Jerry Robbins" was a fake, all-American and showbizzy place name for the real, suffering, inward, outcast Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz, and how Robbins could never be happy knowing this. He loathed himself from the inside out and the outside in: no wonder he treated others so terribly. Deborah Jowitt's years of research into the Robbins papers, those revealing scrapbooks and journals, have really paid off, for although I think in general Greg Lawrence's biography better in most ways, Jowitt's contains innumerable examples of revelation right from the horse's mouth, scraps of diaristic strip-tease that really pay off in almost every case. We can see how, in Gypsy, there had to be a strip-tease number in which three women explain, "You Gotta Have a Gimmick," because Robbins realized early on that was the path to artistic greatness--not the gimmick per se, but the emotional and psychological undressing.
   
   Along the way Jowitt sketches in many portraits, some of them ravishingly done. Leonard Bernstein has never seemed so much himself before. John Kriza, the gadabout dancer from Ballet Theater days, seems as "Fancy Free" as the roles he created in Robbins' early work. Jowitt's greatest "creation" as it were is Tanaquil Le Clercq, the tragic, French-born ballerina who came down with polio while Balanchine's fourth wife. Le Clercq is the real heroine of the book: everything we think about, oh, say, Audrey Hepburn was really Tanaquil Le Clercq gone commercial: gorgeous, radiant, utterly chic, loveable, wildly talented in many different areas. I had just barely heard of her before and now I want me my Tanaquil Le Clercq! I'm going to have to go down to the Robbins Foundation and watch some primitive kinescopes of her. Jowitt actually saw her dance and has apparently never gotten over it. Her next book should be all about "Tanny"!
   
   I did think that Jowitt is a bit sklmpy in her treatment of the HUAC thing. Growing up, I got the sense that Robbins' naming names made hum utterly despised. Even I, as a child of five, knew what he had done made him scum. And yet you never get a sense of what it was like for Robbins living, if not with guilt, then with the simple fact that thousands of people abhorred him. Likewise I think Jowitt isn't exactly the right person to write about Robbins' sex life, and when AIDS enters the picture, she seems bound and determined to avoid the glum subject once and for all. Finally, her lack of editorializing is all very well, but I for one do not believe that the later, experimental work is on a par with INTERPLAY, THE GUESTS, THE CAGE, AFTERNOON OF A FAUN or THE CONCERT. Why not? We don't get an explanation. It was the sixties, pretty much, and Robbins started taking the drugs and stopped wearing suits. But there must have been more to it. WATERMILL is no picnic.



2. Any valid bio of Robbins would have to result in a narrative of the development of dance and musical theatre in America, since the 1940s. While Jowitt gives us the, often sad, milestones in this man's life, her major thrust throughout this long and always exciting book is on his work. She delves into virtually every creation of his, including his generally poorly received occasional forays into non-musical theatre. Detailed attention is given to both concept, creation and execution of his prolific endeavors. Her in depth analysis of each of his works, often quite technical, VIVIDLY recall many great performances of these masterpieces.
   While not necessarily for those with a casual interest in dance, the facts of his life, as well as the cavalcade of his shows and ballets, makes for a read that is always more than just factual. Interestingly, Jowitt seems never to editorialize on Robbins' work. But then again, why attempt to laud a universally acclaimed genius ?



3. Jerome Robbins was a hard act to follow. Deborah Jowitt's Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance should be placed upon every public library shelf, alphabetically, before William Shakespeare, for only he could. Robbins is to 20th Century American Modern Dance Theater what Shakespeare was to the Elizabethan Stage, an author of infinite variety, a man for all ages.
   
   Ms. Jowitt gives us a scholarly blueprint for amateur, musical theater lover, and balletomane; one that should be made available to all engaged in the academic pursuits of the Arts, Letters, and Sciences. Jerome Robbins, legendary theatrical genius, is brilliantly extolled in exacting detail and rendered with the loving care of a biographer dedicated to communicating this great artist's "message." He was the least difficult of men. All he wanted was boundless love.
   
   Deborah Jowitt's Jerome Robbins is written in a trenchant prose style, a cross between WCBS TV celebrity correspondent Walter Cronkite's You Are There, and Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace.
   
   Her tone is one of a high-powered sports newscaster delivering to her audience a polished blow-by-blow description of celebrity "plays." These are not professional precision ball passing reports; they are larger than life descriptive interactions of 20th Century Show Business's great personalities Robbins knew and loved.
   
   Jowitt presents us with an eyeful. It were as though she uses a high definition, technicolor, movie screen attached to a time machine to fly us, like a motion picture director's crane, throughout multiple three dimensional scenes Jerome Robbins choreographs, before our eyes. In Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance, Deborah Jowitt has delivered a state-of-the art biography that goes beyond the intricate prose of great fiction.
   
   Jowitt instantaneously captures "the moment," and translates into words that in effect rolls a continuous major motion picture before us, without skipping a beat. One can almost hear the music that Robbins brilliantly illustrates. Jowitt delineates visions of Robbins forging The Great White Way for talented choreographers to follow: Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett, Twyla Tharp.
   
   Jowitt's dance training and choreographic practice is revealed in her ability to poetically describe Robbins at work. "...he excelled at the artificed use of the apparently accidental. When a moment in a Robbins ballet looks contrived, it can be because one is not simply moved by it but aware of how the choreographer calculated its effect...."
   
   A culmination of five years of writing, and an historical perspective of thirty-five years of looking at the dance, Deborah Jowitt has emerged as America's Dean of 21st Century Dance; following in the tradition of a great poet's translation of classical ephemera, the work of Edwin Denby, a chronicler of The New York City Ballet. Her Jerome Robbins is a masterpiece. Deborah Jowitt's Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance should remain on the public library shelf beside William Shakespeare's The Complete Works for all time.

1 comments about Case Studies in Interpersonal Communication: Processes and Problems (Wadsworth Series in Speech Communication).

1. I have used this textbook for several years now, and I continue to have excellent student response. The case studies give students a way to discuss communication theories in a variety of applied contexts. The cases include a Who's Who list of excellent scholars from the field of communication studies. It's fun to see how they write the theory-linked cases.
   
   One of my colleagues commented: "I see your students reading dog-eared copies of that book. They must really like it." They do. Better yet, they love discussing what they read.

3 comments about Golden Boy: The Untold Story of William Holden.

1. Holden was such a great actor, but a poor family man. Alcohol is the demon here.



2. William Holden is one of the most underrated actors of Hollywood. Evidence by far is that this is the only book on his life. The book is a heartfelt tribute to what appears to be a caring, thoughtful and professional actor who always remembered the ensemble of people who helped him reach stardom. It is also a very sad tale of a person who never overcame his demons and was finally killed by them. His life and career were cut short and it is our loss.



3. golden boy digs deep into the torment of william holden's life.the rise of a bit part actor to oscar winner.the highs and lows of life in hollywood. achieving success in front of the cameras but ultimately failing in his personal life.this book is for any true fan of the golden age of tinsletown

No comments about Dance Composition Basics: Capturing the Choreographer's Craft.

2 comments about Parade: Piano/Vocal Selections.

1. This musical is nearly flawless. I have analyzed this show to great detail and I find it near-perfect. I love Jason Robert Brown (lyrics and music) - he's incredibly talented. As for Harold Prince, the director, he is a the winner of several Tony's, and Alfred Uhrly is just amazing as always, winning awards in several media categories. I recommend this musical to anyone who wants to be challenged musically and moved emotionally. This musical pushes the theatre up to new levels of excellence, which should be every composer's/director's goal.



2. Parade is one of the most auspicious debuts by a theatre composer in recent memory. Jason Robert Brown, then in his mid-20s, joined legendary 20-time Tony-winning producer-director Harold Prince and Tony-, Pulitzer- and Oscar-winning playwright Alfred Uhry for a musical about a Jewish man living in Atlanta in 1915 who was wrongly convicted of the murder of a young girl. The result was a critical success and one of the finest theatre scores I've ever heard. I anxiously awaited the release of this score so that I could play the songs and sing the moving melodies at home. The only problem is that Brown is such a talented "rock pianist" (think Jerry Lee Lewis meets Sondheim) that his piano parts are almost unplayable by amateurs such as myself. My advice: buy this book, and get someone very talented to play it for you.