5 comments about Sarah Kane: Complete Plays.

1. A unique voice that took her life too soon. These plays are an important testament to the IN Your Face Theater that lashed out in the 90s. Sometimes mistaken for pointless violence, Kane has a brilliant ability to cut to the heart of humanity and explore the darker aspects of our own kind.



2. Sarah Kane's collected plays represent an underestimated force in theater. Much like the work of Elfriede Jelinek or Ntozake Shange, Kane takes a private pain (losing oneself in another or testing the limits of proclaimed love) and creates a verbal landscape that the audience must inhabit, either by force of shock or noble acceptance of empathy. In either case, her plays must be reckoned with upon finishing. I think perhaps the most intriguing and powerful to me was 4.48 Psychosis, her final and posthumously performed play. There are no defined characters because who cannot claim a piece within the multitude of confessions that the play really unfolds as. Brutally honest and intentionally confrontational, this play, above the others, embodies the last possible moments of hope in anyone's life. Kane's characters rarely make the choice to latch on to these moments, but they are there and cannot be ignored.



3. Sarah Kane is anything but family friendly. Her plays are raw, brutal, and yet beautiful in an ironic way. She takes all of the hate that exists in this world and uses it to show us the beauty that can come from the ruble of a blown up building. There is no way to actually describe Sarah Kane to you to make you want to buy her book. I was forced to buy it because of a class at my college, but I don't think I'll be selling this one back. I never thought I would enjoy a play such as Blasted. If you want to understand what my review actually means, buy the book, read a couple of her pieces and then read this again. I'm sure you will understand then.



4. One of the strongest women writers that lived, she revolutionized theatre and her death was unfortunate robbed theatre of her potential. A Great collection of her complete work at a great price. Cleansed was my favorite in the collection. Her work is so poetic, stark, honest, painful, and brutal.



5. These are the most electric scripts to arrive in a long while. Sadly, the source was snuffed in 1999. Kane's writing is at once repellent and seductive. "Blasted" is exceptional, riffing on Beckett blatantly, but still signature of a visionary voice: inyerface, exuberant, filthy, poetic, profound. As a debut, it is truly remarkable. "Phaedra's Love" and "Cleansed" push the envelope past the hyper-real into lightning-bright brilliance, and with thunderous emotional depth. How does one stage this stuff? Kane's challenging work sets the imagination--and ultimately, the soul--on fire.

5 comments about Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus.

1. I'm an acting teacher in the theatre department at a university. I've found one of the biggest problems for actors was naming their goal/objective/victory...whatever you want to call it...and coming up with tactics that were compelling and ACTABLE. This book offers a goldmine of ideas for actors. Now, hopefully, they can move on from "convince" and "avoid"!!!
   
   
   
   [ASIN:0896762521 Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus]]



2. This book is wonderful as a reference when trying to find the perfect action to express your intentions and achieve your objective in the scene. It won't be too helpful if you're not sure what action to start with at all, but if you have a sense of the action you are looking for, this thesaurus will help you find the strongest choice. I will carry this with me at all times.



3. Decent first section discussing the use of actions, but the actual thesaurus included many words that don't work practically as actions. Maybe 20% of the list is useful in practice



4. This book makes it so much easier to clarify your actions and your goals when acting. It was introduced to me by a director and our whole cast bought copies and use them all the time. I highly recomend it!



5. This book is great! It helps so much with building my action vocabulary so I can break down scenes easier, quicker, more specifically, and more imaginatively! I love it! I used to dread figuring out the actions. It was like talking in another language for me, but now it's fun. I should write a letter to the publisher for an updated version with even more juicy action verbs. I figure it's a good book for beginning acting students to get so they build a good foundation. In fact every actor should have it. The words are written in British English, so words like tantalize is spelled with an s - not a problem, just figured I'd mention it.

5 comments about Backwards & Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays.

1. It seems like reading would require no specific techniques, that they would come naturally to one and go without saying, even when the task is more specified, as in the reading of plays. But Ball breaks down this seemingly natural sense into its component elements and explains them in easily digestible, well-paced segments, and to examine these elements does much in the way of re-learning and thus refining and fine-tuning one's seemingly natural reading skill. This skill can be taken and applied in various ways (as Ball describes in the introduction), some of which are immeasurably improved by the complex understanding that posessing these refined elements provides; the reading a play to produce it, for example, or the writing of one yourself can be tremendously improved if one is constantly aware of what they are doing, why they're doing it, and what about their actions are correct, lacking, unnecessary or obtrusive. Without having a defined sense of the tools contained within this book, these tasks would be much more difficult, complicated, vague and roundabout, thus slowing, weakening or perhaps ruining the final product. Pair this skill set with application to texts such as plays, which are made all the more difficult by the fact that the playwright thinks in terms more of making their production work when produced for an audience and less of making their script read and be easily graspable completely on the page, and this manual becomes immeasurably more useful on a basic and elemental level.



2. This book would serve a Script Analysis class very well. I plan to use it for mine in the fall. It also is reader friendly enough to serve an actor/director/designer wanting a different perspective, perhaps, on a script; or could be a different way of explaining what we were generally taught as undergrads.



3. I have read a lot of books on the subjects of writing and acting. This book contains almost every important point in the tens of thousands of pages I have read when it comes to structure. If you are a writer you have to own this book! There is no wasted space in it. No actor or director on the planet should live without it either. You can read it in a day, but you'll read it again and again.



4. This book may have been primarily written for directors and writers, but it is a great tool for actors to get to real active meanings in a script.



5. I agreee wholeheartedly with those below. But Mr Ball is not merely a theorist, he supplies a chapter in which he takes us on a brief journey backward through Hamlet for a distance, and through this method shows how single and specific Hamlet's action is. I can't approach a script now without setting up my dominoes and charting it backward. It seemes foolish not to.

5 comments about The Hollywood Book of Death: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More than 125 American Movie and TV Idols.

1. If you are the type of person who shares an interest in the movies and television with a love of reading, and has a certain curiosity, you will find this book to be both appealing and addictive. Once you start skipping through its pages you'll likely find it difficult to put down, at least for any length of time.
   
   Don't be deceived by the title, though: it is much more about life and living than it is about death. But death sells and life doesn't. In any case, the book recounts the lives and deaths of many of Hollywood's well-known and lesser stars, both long-past and fairly recent; concentrating most heavily on their lives, successes, failures, fears, anxieties, and failings. But, as the title implies, each brief life story ends with a star's death; some accidental, others alcohol or drug related, some in obscurity, others murdered, by natural causes, simply puzzling, or by suicide. If you're a movie fan, and especially if you're a trivia fan, you can't help but be captivated.
   
   Besides being interesting, however, these stories also tell us a bit about human nature. For many of these stars, who appeared to be on top of the world, with everything to live for, somehow felt that they were unworthy or had nothing and that nothing was of any value. Others felt threatened or overwhelmed, especially when they aged, or felt their sex appeal, fame, adulation, or simply their livelihood slipping away.
   
   Best of all, however, besides telling its stories, this book is also a feast for trivia fans. Where else can you learn such obscure facts as these: that Florence Lawrence was the first actor named in a film and the first movie actor whose name was known by the public; that a placard placed at John Belushi's graveside reads, "He could have given us a lot more laughs, but noooooo."; that before dying penniless and alone, child actor Bobby Driscoll said of himself, "I was carried on a satin cushion and then dropped into the garbage can."; that when the not so sophisticated "It Girl," Clara Bow, was asked what "It" was," she replied, "I ain't real sure."; that Lou Costello's last words were, "That's the best ice cream soda I ever tasted."; that Greta Garbo didn't really "want to be alone," she simply wanted to be left alone; that, just before he died, Edmund Gwenn, Santa Clause in "Miracle on 34th Street", when told "It's awfully tough, isn't it?" replied, "Yes, it's tough, but not as tough as doing comedy."; that Elvis Presley's will requested that his funeral procession include 16 white Cadillacs and one white hound dog; that the supposed great movie lover, Charles Boyer, committed suicide two days after his wife of 44 years died of cancer; that the famous "Hollywood" sign was erected to promote a real estate development and originally read "Hollywoodland"; or, finally, that Herv'e Villechaize of "De plane! De plane!" fame was the youngest artist ever to have a painting hung in the prestigious Museum of Paris?
   
   If those don't peak your interest and get your trivia juices flowing nothing will. Enjoy! Five stars.



2. This is a great book. Anyone interested in the seedy history of Hollywood stars will definitely enjoy this book.



3. Very Good book, well written.
   I for some reason have a morbid fascination into hollywood deaths and this book definately satisfies my curiosity.
   Highly recommend



4. The title of the book says it all. The book details the deaths and often the lives of some of Hollywoods favorite players. It is broken up into sections depending on the type of death. Some of the catagories and people in them are:
   1. Mysterious:
   a. Natalie Wood
   b.Sal Mineo
   c. Bruce and Brandon Lee
   and many more
   
   2.in obserity-these people had not been in the limelight in a while
   a. Lucille Ball
   b. Joan Crawford
   c. Mary Pickford
   as well as many more
   
   3. suicide
   a. Freddy Prinz
   b. Lupe Velez
   as well as others
   
   4. Drugs/alcohol
   a. Judy Garland
   b. Chris Farley
   c. John Barrymore
   and many more
   
   This book is full of interesting tidpits that any person who loves old Hollywood will definitly injoy



5. This had all the bizarre,and perverse stories I have read in a long time. I have read accounts of some of these deaths but they weren't quite as sordid as these.

5 comments about The Importance of Being Earnest (Dover Thrift Editions).

1. I bought this script because I have so enjoyed the movie based on it. The English humor is brilliant and it is delightful to get to read it in probably less than an hour. This was pure enjoyment for me for no other reason than not missing a syllable of the dialogue (sometimes in the movie the actors speak a little too fast, so in order to savor the humor behind the lines having them in print allows you to enjoy them at your own pace)



2. I still smile when I think about this play. It was my first sampling of Oscar Wilde, and I found it pretty enjoyable. It's also been my only sampling of Oscar Wilde. I've been meaning to get into some more of his work, I really have. It's a tale of mistaken identity, of love, of three volume novels, of "Bunburyists" and of fashion. Everyone claims to be Earnest, but they're all rather trivial about it. It's pretty funny too, with a lot of wit and the like through it.
   
   This particular edition is particularly cheap, and it seems like its worth a look.



3. I love this play. I love Oscar Wilde. The wit and humor of this play is astounding, and yet at the same time, it is so intelligent. I love it.



4. I have not listened to this audio CD version. I purchased it and returned it without listening to it. I opened the case and realized that this is an abridged radio play version on one CD. The play itself is delightful. I don't care for abridged versions of most material, certainly not a play that takes less than 90 minutes in its entirety. I urge Amazon to update the catalog entry to indicate that this is abridged. An unabridged version is available from other vendors. Thank-you.



5. This is an undeniable classic that I've enjoyed seeing over the years in both theatrical and film productions. Upon reading the work, I find that it doesn't suffer in the reading as well. Wilde is likely the most witty person to have ever lived. He claimed he was at least. His works, of course, reflect that genius. In particular, "The Importance of Being Ernest" does. If you're going to experience only one of Wilde's plays, this is the one. The plot is delightfully silly and turns on itself several times. And the word-play is hilarious, and still fresh after more than a century. I'm pretty sure that this play will never grow old.

5 comments about Richard III (Folger Shakespeare Library).

1. The play's appeal is disturbing. The self-proclaimed "naked villain", the murderer who knows neither pity nor regret, the conniving and lying viper is by far the most interesting character of the play. Richard's main merit is having Shakespeare speak for him. By virtue of spending more time on stage than any other character, Richard commands disproportionate attention from Shakespeare and enjoys the good fortune of Shakespearean language. From "the winter of our discontent" to "my kingdom for a horse", almost all memorable expressions are Richard's. For all his macabre plots, he is playful with language. He puns (as when he is treating "naught" as "naughty" in response to Brakenbury who is leading Clarence to the Tower). He cleverly finishes Margaret's long diatribe against him with a single "Margaret", sending the volley of her curse right back at her. He shows the widest range of emotion, from self-assured wisecracking to rambling rage.
   
   For all his scheming evil, Richard has some remarkably attractive qualities. He can be disarmingly honest with himself and with the audience: he is surprised that Anne may see in him a "marv'los proper man" (he sees no such thing), he is fully aware that his "all not equals Edward's moiety" and that he "most plays the devil". Such self-reflection adds another dimension to Richard and compares favorably with simple self-involvement of some 20th century villains - certain heads of Communist and Nazi states. He is anything but a coward: at the end of the line, unhorsed, he continues to fight Richmond and despises Catesby's suggestion to withdraw.
   
   The unquestionable evil that finds ways of being attractive creates an unsettling tension and sense of imbalance. Perhaps this is one of the qualities of great literature: it unobtrusively stirs up the embers of the reader's soul using its only poker - art.



2. It may not be Hamlet, but Richard III is still one of the finest works of literature ever created, in any medium. It's a classic piece of Shakespearian (and therefore, literary) character development, full of irony, wordplay, nuance, tension, imagery, and jaw-dropping poetic virtuosity. Shakespeare's Richard III is simply one of the most hypnotic and effectively portrayed characters of all time- he's a calculating, ruthless, cooly charismatic megalomaniac with bitter past and a knack for heroic feats of rhetoric. He's the quintessential antihero, a thoroughly despicable human being who is nonetheless incredibly fun to root for. Witnessing his swift, ruthless rise to power is a sheer visceral rush, and his monologues are deftly conceived works that drip with side poetry, cutting humor, and an almost charming sort of egotism. Reading or watching the play, one feels like they're the wicked king's confidante and co-conspirator, being allowed the unique privilege of peering into the amoral genius' twisted soul. The experience is exciting and cathartic. Of course, there's more to this play than one great character- the plot (which offers a seething glimpse of a chaotic post civil war England) is complex and engrossing, and sees Shakespeare hurling satirical darts at the corruption and pretensions of the nation's leaders. By allowing Richard to succeed by appealing to the greed, lust, and folly of those around him, Shakespeare sends a powerful warning about the cyclical nature and bottomless pitfalls of political villainy and oppression. At the same time, he paints a grim portrait of the ultimate outcomes of greed, egotism, selfishness, vengeance, and megalomania that still rings true to this day (and will probably do so until our species is extinct). Classic.



3. The book is sold at a bargain price, but the font is too small for easy reading, and the paper is of poor quality.



4. I received my book quickly and in great condition. I had no problems buying this book from here. :)



5. This is the greatest of Shakespeare's plays.
   
   The hunchbacked and ruthless title villain is what all villains have ascribed to be and yet can never attain.
   
   "Now is the winter of our discontent
   Made glorious summer by this son of York."
   
   With those famous words begineth the play and the introduction of the character who spake them: Richard III. In the great opening monologue, he reveals his plots and his bitterness toward the world that looked away from his ugliness in disgust.
   He stabs at the world and looks to the crown as his ultimate prize.
   
   This play contains my favorite Shakespearian quote: when Richard says:
   
   "A Horse! A Horse!
   My kingdom for a horse!"
   
   Oh yes, the perfect villain. Caligula, Nero, Commodus, Ivan the Terrible, Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Vlad the Impaler...

5 comments about The Power of the Actor.

1. One of the best books I've read on the actor, their experience, their work and art. Well, from the best teacher what do you expect?



2. Very Good technique, lots of ways to help you use your inner emotions without getting lost.



3. Ms. Chubbuck's unparalleled understanding of the human condition is immense! I think anyone determined to make advances for themselves in this craft would be remised to not only add this to their repertoire of acting books but to make this the utmost authority & only guide to becoming a "powerful" actor & an honest one at that. The book progresses deeper into understanding character in it's most visceral capacity and as the reader you come out having a greater understanding about yourself & others & how to translate that understanding not only into your work but you also end up incorporating it into your life. Her method has helped me in so many more ways than one. I LOVE how she details scene by scene how her method works by referencing some of the most celebrated portrayals by Actors whom have found incredible success & accolades by using her method. I have once spent a weekend renting a couple films she referenced in her book & was blown away by her obvious fingerprint in their work. "That's so Ivana" was uttered over & over as I watched... it was awesome. I have often found myself thinking that exact phrase when I interact with people in real life. I zone in easily on someone's objective & make sure mine is very clear."Doings" always cracks me up inside & I think of her. To the one negative review left by a former student of Ivana's it's a shame that you perceived her method as "getting you in your head", I beg to differ, it gets into your heart & I think that is the difference between her students who have found success & all those in between who haven't.



4. As someone who has studied acting for the better part of his life, Mrs. Chubbuck's book comes as a breath of fresh air. Anyone who studies acting finds himself surrounded by teachers who preach techniques that sound great in the classroom or the lecture hall, but fail miserably onstage or in front of the camera. The actor always blames himself; if he fails, he tells himself it's because he hasn't worked hard enough...it's never that what he has learned simply doesn't work.
   
   Thankfully, Mrs. Chubbuck's book suffers from none of these problems. Yes, it's an excellent, entertaining read, and yes, the anecdotes about major stars whom she has coached are insightful and relevant, but the true strength of this book is in it's relentless pragmatism. There is nothing in this book that does not WORK; every word has been thoroughly tested against thousands of scripts from every imaginable genre of stage and screen. Mrs. Chubbuck's technique can take you from line readings and pre-conceived ideas into real human behavior; neurotic, fascinating and wild...in other words, the way people really are.
   
   This is, in my opinion, the most important book about the craft of acting written in the last 20 years. It doesn't discount the work of those teachers who have come before, but respectfully pulls it all into the 21st century in a way that has never been done before, and is desperately, desperately needed. Regardless of what you've studied, your work cannot help but be enriched by this technique. Five stars.



5. This book is the holy grail of books! I have never read something that is so beautifully written! This book doesn't teach you the power of acting it teaches you how to become fully alive in yourself! It teaches you how to awaken your life and bring it to life though the characters you play. Even if you don't act I would read this book. I don't ever write reviews but after reading this book I felt that not telling people how much this book has changed me would be a disservice to myself and so many others that can benefit from this wonderful work!!! This book makes sense of life in a way that is so simple, practical, and easy to apply to any and all characters you will play. The simple exercises are so distilled and right on its scary! If you want to be the best actor you can be BUY THIS BOOK. I did and while I'm not the best. I'm the best I can be!!! :)

5 comments about Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

1. I bought this because I keep on getting flashbacks of the play I watched, with the Kathleen Turner and gang revival. Nothing like watching this powerful, brutal and extremely clever play by this master of metaphors - bravo to Albee - on stage...and feel yourself squirming in your seat, yet enjoying every gut-wrenching moment of it. Not for the faint-hearted this. A play written ahead of its time. This is a keeper on my shelves.



2. I was shocked to see that the new revision omits the end of Act II, "Walpurgisnacht". George and Honey have a key confrontation. George says "How to you make your secret little murders stud-boy doesn't know about, hunh? Pills? PILLS? You got a secret supply of pills? Or what? Apple-jelly? WILL POWER?"
   
   Several pages are omitted; perhaps Albee wanted to decrease the run-time of the play. I have no idea. The shortening and the omission of key speeches are not worth the addition of the "F" word. Honey and Nick become a less complex and nuanced couple; her participation in secrets and her ambivalence about child-birth and motherhood are, essentially, removed from the text.
   
   It's an unkind cut.



3. If you ever get the chance to see a live production of this classic American drama, run and get your tickets. You will not be disappointed. Edward Albee's drama stands the test of time. George and Martha are in the throes of marriage abyss where the lies, unhappiness and frustration rules the relationship. Theirs is a game not to be played by amateurs, enter Nick and Honey, a young married couple about to get stuck in the web of deceit. The booze flows, the barbs fly and the game is on. This is above all else one of the great dramas of American theatre. I was in a production of this great play a few years back, playing Nick. It was probaly the most challenging play I was ever a part of. To totally divest yourself in it by night's end I was wiped out, emotionally and physically. Awesome experience.



4. I won't bother to go into how terrific a play this is (the five stars should indicate that), but having just seen the touring production with Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin, I have to wonder which version has been published here. The current touring production "is based upon the revised text of 2004" and differs from the original in several significant aspects. Perhaps the most significant change is that the new version never makes it explicit that George is the same character who accidentally killed his own parents--a crucial plot point in the original. Nor do we any longer hear Honey admit that she doesn't want to have children. There are other changes, with several other significant cuts and some rewritten lines here and there. But is this book, which was published in 2006, the "revised" text of 2004 or not? It would be nice to know.



5. We've all been there: writhing with discomfort as guests in someone's home because the host couple can't seem to stop arguing. That's the predicament Nick and Honey find themselves in after stopping over at George and Martha's house for drinks following a party for the college Nick and George teach at (and which Martha's father owns and operates). But this is no petty disagreement that George and Martha are having; Nick and Honey have become unwitting accomplices in the psychological warfare that George and Martha have engaged in after years of bitter disappointment and rivalry. Where it started is left open for interpretation, although it seems that when George and Martha were married George had his eyes on following in his father-in-law's footsteps, and instead found himself hopelessly stuck after failing to move up in his department (to which Martha nastily insinuates that he just didn't have "the STUFF," a multi-pronged jab at George's career, intelligence, and ability to satisfy his wife). But the depths of their unhappiness -- and other possible explanations for it -- are only revealed in layers, with the biggest twist saved for the final minutes of Edward Albee's diabolical gem of a play. And what of the hapless guests, the newlyweds Nick and Honey? They turn out to have some secrets and disappointments of their own that come out in the course of the evening, but it is George and Martha's pathos that claim the spotlight. Their manipulations, lies, insults, and betrayals may be difficult to watch, but "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is spellbinding drama at its best, and luckily for those of you who haven't seen it performed, the play reads just as well as it plays. I would, however, recommend watching it after you have read it -- even if only as a point of interest, because the roles of George and Martha have inspired many great performances. Kathleen Turner captivated Broadway with her rendition of Martha in 2005, but if you can't get access to a showing the 1966 movie with the inimitable pairing of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (with George Segal and Sandy Dennis supporting) is far and away the definitive version. This is not to detract from the written play, of course, just to point out that "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is that rare play that excells in both formats, and should be experienced accordingly.

5 comments about Inside Ballet Technique: Separating Anatomical Fact from Fiction in the Ballet Class.

1. Inside Ballet Technique: Separating Anatomical Fact from Fiction in the Ballet Class
   
   The product is excellent



2. I was assigned this book in college for Dance Pedegogy and found it to be a great resource to understanding anatomy as it relates to dance. It gave me many new insights into allignment, the foot and the hip flexor and not only opened up new posibilities as an instructor, but as a dancer as well.



3. This book is great to give you the ins and outs of why we do the things the way we do as dancers. It gives you a better understanding of how the parts of the body work together to achieve the skills we need.



4. Ballet is being taught incorrectly all over the world today except for in a few great institutions such as the Royal Ballet School. Valerie Grieg has brought to light the lies that fill so many ballet classrooms today. She explains the technique of ballet simply and clearly and why and how it works. As a student of ballet, I have been incredibly fortunate to have had a teacher who cares about the technique immensely, and it is comforting to know that people such as Grieg still care about the art's technique! If you are either a teacher or student of ballet, this book is a must read! You will benefit greatly from what Grieg has to say.



5. I am a young dancer and both my teacher and I have benfited from this book. Not only does it have certain tips, but it teaches dancers about their main asset.... their bodies. The portion about the pelvis not only helped my placement, but everything else benefited from that. My turns were better and so were my balances.

4 comments about Theatre of the Oppressed.

1. Buy this. I know that isn't a sentence but wow. This is a life changing work. If you care the minutest bit about theatre, mankind, and the future of both (together and seperate) then feast here. Also, a side benifit is listening to Boal argue AGAINST The Poetics. Good stuff. The begining is a little slow because he begins by very carefully setting up examples and definitions before he begins to explain his actual work and theory. This is nessisary and impressive (citing some ancient Greek philosophers to whom I had never been introduced). I think this book handed me some special x-ray glasses to look through the clothing of our contemporary American theatre. Get yourself a pare.



2. This should be required reading in our theatre schools, but is generally relegated to the extra credit section of additional reading. Boal expounds some brilliant concepts that should be considered by all contempoary theatre practitioners. Serious theatre goers should read this text as well.



3. Boal is insane, but not nearly as much as Brecht or Artaud. Boal is essentially a communist that approaches all art from the social-conflict paradigm of sociology (Marxism). He tends to argue that most theatre is made to coerce, and that much of it is made with the power/elite in mind (that is the mildest description I can give you without starting a debate). Whether you agree with Boal or not, his chapters dealing with the Coercive Aristotelian Tragedies are highly educational just in the factual sense of what he presents. If you have any interest in classical or Greek theatre this is definitely a must read. He explains the dynamics of Greek theatre so well that it can almost be used as a text book.



4. Perhaps the pursuit of art in this world of massive economic, social and legal inequality is simply privileged playing and bemusement? Perhaps art has no valued, but as marketable, profitable entertainment? Or, perhaps art (and specifically theatre) can actually change the world? Boal is not the first to speak of theater's revolutionary quality, but unlike his predecessors he takes to the street with his theory. Tracing the relationship between the producers of theatre and its audience, Boal exposes the historical oppression imposed by the dramatic machine/conventions of the past. In its place he offers theoretical and practical examples of his "People's theatre" (i.e., paratheatre or interactive theatre). For all seriously minded artist this is a must read. Especially if you wish to understand your role in artistic production and also wish to make a difference with you work.