All performance depends upon our abilities to create, perceive, remember, imagine and empathize. This book provides an introduction to the evolutionary and cognitive foundations of theatrical performing and spectating and argues that this scientific perspective challenges some of the major assumptions about what takes place in the theatre.

Theatre and Mind (Theatre And, 33)

McConachie, Bruce

Humor & Entertainment

Red Globe Press

This collection of essays defines and explores American theatres that consciously appealed primarily to workers. The scope of the book extends from the 1830s to the 1980s. Different authors focus on how various plays related to the audience as a class, the historically dynamic interaction between spectators and actors, and why certain plays gained popularity. The collection encompasses essays concerning New York theatre in the 1830s and 1840s, Pittsburgh theatre in the 1870s, various immigrant productions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the politically radical theatre of the 1930s, a concluding section on recent and contemporary theatre for workers, and an overview of the history, politics, and aesthetics of theatres doing shows for working-class audiences today. An original and comprehensive bibliographical essay regarding the history of theatres for workers in the United States completes the volume.

Theatre for Working-Class Audiences in the United States, 1830-1980: (Contributions in Drama and Theatre Studies)

Friedman, Daniel

Praeger

'A work that more than any other currently available suggests the range and richness of theatre and performance history study today.' – Marvin Carlson, City University of New York, USA 'This book will significantly change theatre education.' – Janelle Reinelt, University of California, Irvine, USA 'Globally ambitious in its scope, innovative in design, and open-ended in its challenge to the received histories, this new grand narrative will engage scholars and students at every level, whatever their particular interests in past performance.' – Jacky Bratton, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK 'Finally we have a book that conceives theatre history in world terms and breaks down the Euro-American boundaries that have marginalised the theatres of other cultures for so long.' – Brian Singleton, The University of Dublin, Trinity College This new edition of the innovative and widely acclaimed Theatre Histories: An Introduction offers overviews of theatre and drama in many world cultures and periods together with case studies demonstrating the methods and interpretive approaches used by today's theatre historians.  Completely revised and renewed in colour, enhancements and new material include:    a full-colour text design with added timelines to each opening section a wealth of new colour illustrations to help convey the vitality of performances described new case studies on African, Asian and Western subjects a new chapter on modernism, and updated and expanded chapters and part introductions fuller definitions of terms and concepts throughout in a new glossary a re-designed support website offering links to new audio-visual resources, expanded bibliographies, approaches to teaching theatre and performance history, discussion questions relating to case studies and an online glossary  

Theatre Histories: An Introduction

Zarrilli, Phillip B.

Williams, Gary Jay

Fisher Sorgenfrei, Carol

Routledge

'A work that more than any other currently available suggests the range and richness of theatre and performance history study today.' – Marvin Carlson, City University of New York, USA 'This book will significantly change theatre education.' – Janelle Reinelt, University of California, Irvine, USA 'Globally ambitious in its scope, innovative in design, and open-ended in its challenge to the received histories, this new grand narrative will engage scholars and students at every level, whatever their particular interests in past performance.' – Jacky Bratton, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK 'Finally we have a book that conceives theatre history in world terms and breaks down the Euro-American boundaries that have marginalised the theatres of other cultures for so long.' – Brian Singleton, The University of Dublin, Trinity College This new edition of the innovative and widely acclaimed Theatre Histories: An Introduction offers overviews of theatre and drama in many world cultures and periods together with case studies demonstrating the methods and interpretive approaches used by today's theatre historians. Completely revised and renewed in colour, enhancements and new material include: <ul>
<li>a full-colour text design with added timelines to each opening section</li> <li>a wealth of new colour illustrations to help convey the vitality of performances described</li> <li>new case studies on African, Asian and Western subjects</li> <li>a new chapter on modernism, and updated and expanded chapters and part introductions</li> <li>fuller definitions of terms and concepts throughout in a new glossary</li> <li>a re-designed support website offering links to new audio-visual resources, expanded bibliographies, approaches to teaching theatre and performance history, discussion questions relating to case studies and an online glossary</li>
</ul>

This new edition of the innovative and widely acclaimed Theatre Histories: An Introduction offers overviews of theatre and drama in many world cultures and periods together with case studies demonstrating the methods and interpretive approaches used by today's theatre historians. Completely revised and renewed in color, enhancements and new material include: <ul>
<li>a full-color text design with added timelines to each opening section</li> <li>a wealth of new color illustrations to help convey the vitality of performances described</li> <li>new case studies on African, Asian, and Western subjects</li> <li>a new chapter on modernism, and updated and expanded chapters and part introductions</li> <li>fuller definitions of terms and concepts throughout in a new glossary </li> <li>a re-designed support website offering links to new audio-visual resources, expanded bibliographies, approaches to teaching theatre and performance history, discussion questions relating to case studies and an online glossary.</li> </ul>

This thoroughly revised and updated third edition of the innovative and widely acclaimed Theatre Histories: An Introduction offers a critical overview of global theatre and drama, spanning a broad wealth of world cultures and periods. Bringing together a group of scholars from a diverse range of backgrounds to add fresh perspectives on the history of global theatre, the book illustrates historiographical theories with case studies demonstrating various methods and interpretive approaches. Subtly restructured sections place the chapters within new thematic contexts to offer a clear overview of each period, while a revised chapter structure offers accessibility for students and instructors. Further new features and key updates to this third edition include: <ul>
<li>A dedicated chapter on historiography</li> <li>New, up to date, case studies</li> <li>Enhanced and reworked historical, cultural and political timelines, helping students to place each chapter within the historical context of the section</li> <li>Pronunciation guidance, both in the text and as an online audio guide, to aid the reader in accessing and internalizing unfamiliar terminology </li> <li>A new and updated companion website with further insights, activities and resources to enable students to further their knowledge and understanding of the theatre.</li> </ul>

Arts & Photography

Nellhaus, Tobin

Underiner, Tamara

Performing Arts

Culture and cognition work together dynamically every time a spectator interprets meaning during a performance. In this study, Bruce McConachie examines the biocultural basis of all performance, from its origins and the cognitive processes that facilitate it, to what keeps us coming back for more. To effect this major reorientation, McConachie works within the scientific paradigm of enaction, which explains all human activities, including performances, as the interactions of mental, bodily, and ecological networks. He goes on to use our biocultural proclivity for altruism, as revealed in performance, to explore our species' gradual ethical progress on such matters as the changing norms of religious sacrifice, slavery, and LGBT rights. Along the way, the book engages with a wide range of performances, including Richard Pryor's stand-up, the film Titanic, aerialist performances, American football, and the stage and film versions of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Evolution, Cognition, and Performance

Literature & Fiction

Dramas & Plays

Cambridge University Press

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Books by McConachie, Bruce

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by McConachie, Bruce. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Theatre and Mind (Theatre And, 33)

Theatre for Working-Class Audiences in the United States, 1830-1980: (Contributions in Drama and Theatre Studies)

Theatre Histories: An Introduction

Theatre Histories: An Introduction

Theatre Histories: An Introduction

Theatre Histories: An Introduction

Theatre Histories: An Introduction

Theatre Histories: An Introduction

Evolution, Cognition, and Performance

Evolution, Cognition, and Performance