Popular Theatre: A SourcebookJoel Schechter Bertolt Brecht turned to cabaret; Ariane Mnouchkine went to the circus; Joan Littlewood wanted to open a palace of fun. These were a few of the directors who turned to popular theatre forms in the last century, and this sourcebook accounts for their attraction. Popular theatre forms introduced in this sourcebook include cabaret, circus, puppetry, vaudeville, Indian jatra, political satire, and physical comedy. These entertainments are highly visual, itinerant, and readily understood by audiences. Popular Theatre: A Sourcebook follows them around the world, from the bunraku puppetry of Japan to the masked topeng theatre of Bali to South African political satire, the San Francisco Mime Troupe's comic melodramas, and a 'Fun Palace' proposed for London. The book features essays from the archives of The Drama Review and other research. Contributions by Roland Barthes, Hovey Burgess, Marvin Carlson, John Emigh, Dario Fo, Ron Jenkins, Joan Littlewood, Brooks McNamara, Richard Schechner, and others, offer some of the most important, informative, and lively writing available on popular theatre. Introducing both Western and non-Western popular theatre practices, the sourcebook provides access to theatrical forms which have delighted audiences and attracted stage artists around the world. |
Contents
Introduction to Part I | 3 |
The scenography of popular entertainment | 12 |
The golden age of the boulevard | 22 |
Introduction to Part II | 35 |
The radicality of the puppet theatre | 41 |
On Bunraku | 49 |
from Jacques Lecoq to The Lion King an interview | 64 |
Introduction to Part III | 79 |
report on the International ClownTheatre Congress | 165 |
Introduction to Part V | 177 |
A visit to the Cabaret Dada | 186 |
Minikes and Among the Indians 1895 | 202 |
A laboratory of fun | 212 |
Introduction to Part VI | 217 |
an interview with Luis Valdez | 226 |
an interview | 234 |
The DellArte Players of Blue Lake California | 90 |
The Golden Age First Draft | 97 |
Wordless speech | 104 |
Introduction to Part IV | 129 |
entrée clown selffashioning in the circus tradition | 138 |
a joker in the deck | 149 |
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Common terms and phrases
acrobats actor Arlecchino artists audience bahurupiya Bali Balinese Bertolt Brecht Bindlestiff Family Cirkus body Boulevard Brecht Bunraku Burgess cabaret century character Chat Noir Chittorgarh circus clown comedy comic commedia dell'arte contemporary costume create culture curtain dance Dario Fo director drama entrée clowns farm workers film Francisco Mime Troupe gesture grammelot Hajari Bhand Harry improvisation Indian Jatra Javanese Joan Littlewood John Emigh Julie Taymor Kakul Kalomfulo Karl Valentin language laugh laughter Liesl Karlstadt Lion King Ludruk mask Mayakovsky melodrama Miss Meisel modern movement Pantalone pantomime Paris Penasar Kelihan performance Peter Schumann Pitu Pitu's play political theatre popular entertainment popular theatre present puppet theatre puppetry role Salis San Francisco Mime satirical scene Schechner sing social songs spectacle spectators stage story Taymor Teatro Théâtre theatrical things tion topeng traditional Valdez Valentin vaudeville village voice Wayang whiteface clown Willie York