Books in the Theatre And series

The theatre has always been a place where conceptions of race and racism have been staged, shared and perpetuated. Harvey Young introduces key ideas about race, before tracing its relationship with theatre and performance - from Ancient Athens to the present day.

Theatre and Medicine offers a tour of this interdisciplinary terrain. Organized into four distinct topics, each represents crucial ways of understanding the theatre-medicine relationship. From discussions on the somatic underpinnings of the body that medicine and theatre take as their subject through to the historical association of theatre and contagion, and the pervasive role of doctors and the practitioners of alternative medicine in Western theatre and role of patients on and off stage. Together, this brief study considers the institutional contexts of theatre's medical performances in the early twenty-first century.

This stimulating introduction to laughter in theatre and performance examines laughter among actors, among audience, and the interaction between the two. Exploring the many uses and effects of laughter in theatre, Eric Weitz considers laughter as a tool of political resonance, as social commentary, and as one of the oldest rhetorical devices.

A vibrant introduction to theatre that engages with stories, conditions and experiences of migration. Arguing that migration is crucially about encounters with foreignness, Emma Cox traces international histories of migration and considers key issues in contemporary performance - from Cape Town and Melbourne, to London and Toronto.

In this cutting-edge text, Trish Reid offers a concise overview of the shifting roles of theatre and theatricality in Scottish culture. She asks important questions about the relationship between Scottish theatre, history and identity, and celebrates the recent emergence of a generation of internationally successful Scottish playwrights.

Theatre & the Visual argues that theatre studies' preoccupation with problems arising from textual analysis has compromised a fuller, political consideration of the visual.

The book argues that theatrical representations of the nation are constantly in flux and that the way theatre engages with the nation changes according to different geographical, political, economic, social and cultural circumstances.

In a world of spectacular suffering and power plays - large and small - what is theatre's role in protecting human dignity? With its impassioned plays, inspired activism and outspoken artists, the theatre has long provided a venue for promoting and practising human rights;

This provocative book meets the supposedly 'live' practices of performance and the 'no-longer-live' historical past at their own dangerous crossroads. Focussing on the 'and' of the title, it addresses the tangled relations between the terms, practices, ideas, and aims embedded in these compatriot - but often oppositional - arts and acts of time.

What do we mean by entertainment? How does this concept relate to theatre? Should theatre be for pleasure or instruction? Can it not be both? In this stimulating book, Jim Davis examines the relationship between theatre and entertainment by assessing audience reception, political theatre and melodrama. He explores definitions of entertainment, arguing that it can be found embedded in all forms of theatre, not just the 'popular'. Davis concludes with a review of contemporary perspectives on the topic and questions the limits of entertainment in theatrical performance.

Using examples from popular culture, dramatic texts and applied theatre it analyses how theatre and performance reveals economies of punishment, affects penal reform and both challenges and participates in narratives of reformation.

This incisive and thoughtful new title in the Theatre And series confronts the difficult relationship between theatre and cancer. Challenging conventional narratives which rely on the binary of tragedy versus survival, Brian Lobel argues for an alternative approach to understanding cancer in relation to theatre.

This exciting new title in the Theatre And series explores how theatre and the environment have informed and continue to inform each other, considering both what theatre can do for the environment and what the environment can do for theatre.

This critical new title in the Theatre & series explores the fluctuating relationship between theatre and Christianity by focusing on key points of intersection - the challenge of realism and the real, the treatment of women and the role of amateur performance.

How has theatre represented the rural? And how does a re-viewing of theatre of and in the rural help to build and complicate our sense of place?Theatre & the Rural explores the different ways in which theatre has performed the rural from the medieval to the contemporary, and examines the changing relationships between place, performance and audience when theatre is staged in rural communities. The book argues that theatre has a key role to play in both producing and potentially changing understandings of the rural, challenging dominant views of the relationships between city and country which can affect the political, social and cultural lives of the nation.

Walsh argues that there are many links between theatre and therapy when considering actor training, theatre in therapeutic contexts, and contemporary theatre and performance. He draws on a range of examples that include the drama of Sarah Kane, the method acting of Daniel Day Lewis and performances by Ruby Wax and David Hoyle.

This succinct and engaging text explores the interdependence between theatre and dance.

Theatre& Sexuality explains the critical validity of using sexuality as a lens for examining theatre's creation and reception.

What does theatre do for - and to - those who witness, watch, and participate in it?

How does protest engage with theatre? What does theatre have to gain from protest? Theatre and protest are often closely interlinked in the contemporary cultural and political landscape, and the line between protest and performance is often difficult to draw.

Theatre & Law offers the first comprehensive account of the complex relations between legal process and performances. Through ten major principles of performance within law, it establishes how law itself is a performative mode of practice and reflects upon the co-dependence of law, performance and politics in celebrated works of theatre.

Theatre & Feminism tells the story of the movement known as feminist performance theory. It explores key debates from its 40-year history, engages with the work of groundbreaking thinkers including Elin Diamond, Jill Dolan, Peggy Phelan and Elaine Aston, and includes case studies of recent performances by established and emerging feminist artists.

Examining the relationship between theatre and photography, this book shows how the two intertwine and provide vantage points for understanding each other. Joel Anderson explores the theory and practice of photographing theatre and performance, as well as theatre and photography's mutual preoccupation with posing, staging, framing, and stillness.

Drawing on sources from Aeschylus to The Lion King, Chekhov to Complicite, tragedy to advertising, the book argues for theatre's importance as a site of resistance to the ruthless spread of the global market. Foreword by Mark Ravenhill

How can an understanding of theatre in the city help us make sense of urban social experience?

What is ethics and what has it got to do with theatre? Drawing on both theoretical material and practical examples, Ridout makes a clear and compelling critical intervention, raising fundamental questions about what theatre is for and how audiences interact with it.

What happens to politics when it takes the form of theatre? How has theatre both exploited and undermined politics both in society and on the stage?Theatre& Politics explores the complex relationship between theatre and politics, questioning some of the assumptions that often arise when they are brought together.