Committing Theatre

This book provides an overview of the full range of the teaching and practice of Committed Theatre and theatre of commitment in Nigeria for scholars in the arts and cultural studies. It is divided into four sections; Chapter 1: Theatre in Development Discourse, which is comprised of four papers that explore the theories of practice of theatre of commitment. Chapter 2 : Nigerian Theatre in Perspective discusses the trends, ethos of revolution, theatrical elements and communalistic/individualistic tendencies and the taboos theatre, drama and traditional theatre in Nigeria. In Chapter 3, the social, cultural and historical implications of Nigeria theatre, is examined in papers that focus on politics, theatre, and echoes of separatism in Nigeria and including an analysis of Aesthetagement of the Calabar Carnival in Nigeria. Chapter 4 performs a critical analysis of committed theatre practices from a global perspective. Interviews were conducted with committed artistes from Nigeria, Canada, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. Committed Theatre Perspectives in Teaching and Practice in Nigeria has the potential to impact the philosophy, teaching, and practice of theatre. The ideas contained in the book provide an excellent framework for understanding the importance and more importantly, the impact of theatre on society.

Kathleen Gallagher and Barry Freeman bring together nineteen playwrights, actors, directors, scholars, and educators who discuss the role that theatre can and must play in professional, community, and educational venues."

Nationalism and Youth in Theatre and Performance explores how children and young people fit into national political theatre and, moreover, how youth enact interrogative, patriotic, and/or antagonistic performances as they develop their own relationship with nationhood. Children are often seen as excluded from public discourse or political action. However, this idea of exclusion is false both because adults place children at the center of political debates (with the rhetoric of future generations) and because children actively insert themselves into public discourse. Whether performing a national anthem for visiting heads of state, creating a school play about a country’s birth, or marching in protest of a change in public policy, young people use theatre and performance as a means of publicly staking a claim in national politics, directly engaging with ideas of nationalism around the world. This collection explores the issues of how children fit into national discourse on international stages. The authors focus on national performances by/for/with youth and examine a wide range of performances from across the globe, from parades and protests to devised and traditional theatre. Nationalism and Youth in Theatre and Performance rethinks how national performance is defined and offers previously unexplored historical and theoretical discussions of political youth performance.

At present, we are witnessing a significant transformation of established forms of spectatorship in theatre, performance art and beyond. In particular, immersive and participatory forms of theatre allow audiences and performers to interact in a shared performance space. Staging Spectators in Immersive Performances discusses forms and concepts of contemporary spectatorship and explores various modes of audience participation in theory as well as in practice. The volume also reflects on what new terms and methods must be developed in order to address the theoretical challenges of contemporary immersive performances. Split into three parts, Staging Spectators in Immersive Performances, respectively, focuses on various strategies for mobilising the audience, methodological questions for research on being a spectator in immersive and participatory forms of theatre, and thematising new modes of partaking and ways of spectating in contemporary art. Poignantly capturing experiences that can be viewed as manifestations of affective relationality in the strongest possible sense, this volume will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as Theatre and Performance Studies, Media Studies and Philosophy.

Discover the cognitive, social, emotional, and other psychological benefits of learning how to act and perform. This book looks behind the curtain of theatre education to see how thinking on stage happens in real secondary classrooms. Reporting on the first large scale systematic qualitative analyses of acting classes for adolescents, the author introduces the eight Acting Habits of Mind—thinking strategies to solve problems and creatively complete tasks. Each Habit is tied to current scientific research findings for related psychological constructs, including creativity, self-esteem, empathy, emotion regulation, and well-being. Connections are then made to individual student needs, future research, and the complexity of theatre education. Based in the science of development and actual theatre education in a variety of setting and with a diversity of students, this book provides an answer to the question, “What, psychologically, is an acting class?” Every educator, administrator, and arts lover can use this book to not only better understand and advocate for their art forms, but also to demonstrate why theatre should be included in schools. Book Features: A go-to text for any theatre educator challenged to justify the teaching of acting in schools—uses systematic empirical evidence to show the psychological foundations of acting classes and how students learn to think on stage.A reference text for graduate studyÑdiscusses the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral techniques underlying acting exercises and moments in teaching.A summary of current knowledge in the transfer effects of theatre—offers a full exploration of the psychological underpinnings of acting classrooms across contexts, student type, and community.Exercises and techniques from acting classes across a variety of contexts—showing how they are tied to research-based psychosocial constructs, skills, and abilities.A foundation from which future tests of the effects of theatre education can be builtÑincludes studies relevant to constructing policy and practice of arts education and developing interventions that use techniques and theories from theatre education. “This updated edition of The Color of Success is a timely and practical resource for practitioners and researchers alike. . . . Conchas’s work, once again, confirms that positive reforms are possible. Anyone who shares a commitment to social justice in education will find compelling and valuable insights.” —From the Foreword by Cynthia Feliciano, professor, Washington University in St. Louis

This book investigates Joan Littlewood's theatre productions and her community-based projects and activism, drawing upon extensive primary archival material.

In this epic history-cum-anthology, Megan Vaughan tells the story of the theatre blogosphere from the dawn of the carefully crafted longform post to today's digital newsletters and social media threads. Contextualising the key debates of fifteen years of theatre history, and featuring the writings of over 40 theatre bloggers, Theatre Blogging brings past and present practitioners into conversation with one another. Starting with Encore Theatre Magazine and Chris Goode in London, George Hunka and Laura Axelrod in New York, Jill Dolan at Princeton University, and Alison Croggon in Melbourne, the work of these influential early adopters is considered alongside those who followed them. Vaughan explores issues that have affected both arts journalism and the theatre industry, profiling the activist bloggers arguing for broader representation and better working conditions, highlighting the innovative dramaturgical practices that have been developed and piloted by bloggers, and offering powerful insights into the precarious systems of labour and economics in which these writers exist. She concludes by considering current threats to the theatre blogosphere, and how the form continues to evolve in response to them.

Drawing on new research from the ERC project ‘Developing Theatre’, this collection presents innovative institutional approaches to the theatre historiography of the Global South since 1945. Covering perspectives from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America as well as Eastern Europe, the chapters explore how US philanthropy, international organisations and pan-African festivals all contributed to the globalisation and institutionalisation of the performing arts in the Global South. During the Cultural Cold War, the Global North intervened in and promoted forms of cultural infrastructure that were deemed adaptable to any environment. This form of technopolitics impacted the construction of national theatres, the introduction of new pedagogical tools and the invention of the workshop as a format. The networks of 'experts' responsible for this foreground seminal figures, both celebrated (Augusto Boal, Efua Sutherland) but also lesser known (Albert Botbol, Severino Montano, Metin And), who contributed to the worldwide theatrical epistemic community of the postwar years. Developing Theatre in the Global South investigates the institutional factors that led to the emergence of professional theatre in the postwar period throughout the decolonising world. The book’s institutional and transnational approach enables theatre studies to overcome its still strong national and local focus on plays and productions, and connect it to current discourses in transnational and global history.

Exploring diverse human experiences in the US, Poland and Northern Ireland, this book is of interest to practitioners and students of applied theatre, peace and conflict studies, professionals working in conflict resolution, counselors, psychotherapists, professionals in the field of criminal and restorative justice, and spiritual seekers.