From opulent Aztec festivals in which the lead actor's heart is carved out and offered to the gods to the many varieties of Asian puppet theater, world traditions continue to redefine the Western idea of what constitutes "theater."
A groundbreaking, cross-cultural reference work exploring the diversity of expression found in rituals, festivals, and performances, uncovering acting techniques and practices from around the world.
Acting: An International Encyclopedia explores the amazing diversity of dramatic expression found in rituals, festivals, and live and filmed performances. Its hundreds of alphabetically arranged, fully referenced entries offer insights into famous players, writers, and directors, as well as notable stage and film productions from around the world and throughout the history of theater, cinema, and television.
The book also includes a surprising array of additional topics, including important venues (from Greek amphitheaters to Broadway and Hollywood), acting schools (the Actor's Studio) and companies (the Royal Shakespeare), performance genres (from religious pageants to puppetry), technical terms of the actor's art, and much more. It is a unique resource for exploring the techniques performers use to captivate their audiences, and how those techniques have evolved to meet the demands of performing through Greek masks and layers of Kabuki makeup, in vast halls or tiny theaters, or for the unforgiving eye of the camera.
Features
• A–Z entries span every region of the world and cover diverse topics from Ireland's Abbey Theatre to China's Zhang Mu (rod-puppet theater)
• Beautiful illustrations include masks used in classical Greek dramas, an advertisement for a performance of Punch and Judy, the humorous puppet characters, and photographs of actors, performances, and ceremonies from Monty Python to young Balinese dancers performing the Legong dance
Highlights
• Provides unique coverage of world traditions, emphasizing the performances of indigenous peoples in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
• Focuses on the contributions of women worldwide to the performance arts as actresses, writers, dancers, directors, and musicians
• Includes biographies of some of our best-loved actors—Jimmy Stewart, Shirley Temple, Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Taylor, and many more from around the world
Beth Osnes, Ph.D., is a scholar, teacher, and performer based in Boulder, CO. She received her Ph.D. in theater from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
