This new series of cutting edge critical essays and articles in issues concerning Drama and Performance opens with Volume I; which will focus on issues of Interventionist Drama and related examples of Drama as Community. The list of contributors is impressive and quite consciously eclectic; ranging from established scholars such as Dr. Lionel Pilkington (University of Galway) through to the latest talent emerging in the field of theatre research such as Bill McDonnell (University of Sheffield) and Maureen Barry (Bretton Hall College; University of Leeds.) There is also a significant international dimension to Volume I with contributions from Carole Christensen (Copenhagen) and - (South Africa); with Velda Harris (Central School of Speech and Drama) offering a critical evaluation of her work with nomadic tribes people in Azerbaijan. As with the series as a whole; the focus for this first collection is a fusion of high-quality scholarly research with dynamic and perceptive accounts from practitioners in their field of work. Similarly this collection represents an eclectic mix of material that is absolutely contemporary and previously unpublished; offering a unique insight into some of the ideological; methodological and aesthetic issues surrounding the generic area of Interventionist and Community Theatre.
#3372699 in eBooks 2013-01-28 2013-01-28File Name: B01A27UETW
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Narrowly; but interestingly focusedBy Deborah VFirst off; if you pick this book up; you need to love the ballet Sleeping Beauty and what Russian ballet brings to the table for the genre. It focuses on the 1999 reproduction of the 1890 work of Sleeping Beauty by the Maryinsky (formerly Kirov) Ballet and Theater. The 1999 version was faithful to the 1890 work and sparked much dialogue within the ballet public.As the author states on page 131:"If the 1890 production of Sleeping Beauty was meant to awake; like Aurora; from a long sleep in 1999; the revival seemed more like Giselle emerging from the grave to some: the production returned to haunt members of a St.Petersburg ballet public that loved to reminiscence about 1890 but actually preferred that the past remain there. Like all reconstructions; the 1890/1999 production of Sleeping Beauty occupied a strange half-life: it was neither a truly radical nor a genuinely conservative gesture."The author delves into this unique translation that did its best to recreate what was performed in 1890 by interweaving history; politics; and art. This is a ballet that has been performed and interpreted by many. The 1890 version is the first production of this famous ballet. As the years went on and choreographers and dancers interpreted the ballet; the original productions staging; dancing and art faded into the background.Tim Scholl allows you to revisit the past and compare it to today as his rhetoric searches for the "authentic" Sleeping Beauty. As one person mentioned in the book after viewing the reproduction of the 1890 Sleeping Beauty at the Met--it changed the way they forever would view the ballet.The author includes fascinating reviews of the original ballet. One of my favorites was from the Theater Echo (page 176):"A new ballet!...An occasion in the ballet anthill!...As always; there are many who like it and many who dont! On one hand: lovely; delightful. And on the other: dissatisfaction and spiteful whispering with crooked smiles on the lips. Ummmyeah! The costumes really are good! The sets; very nice; but whats the sense of it? They didnt skimp; but with money you can make any sort of set you want!...Theres no plot and no dancing!"Sounds like with the reproduction that this review is apropos today.
