Modern Theories of Performance: From Stanislavski to Boal

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The modern era in the theatre is remarkable for the extraordinary role and influence of theoretical practitioners, whose writings have shaped our sense of the possibilities and objectives of performance. This study offers a critical exploration of the theoretical writings of key modern practitioners from Stanlislavski to Boal. Designed to be read alongside primary source material, each chapter offers not only a summary and exposition of these theories, but a critical commentary on their composition as discourses. Close scrutiny of the cultural context and figurative language of these important, and sometimes difficult, texts yields fresh insight into the ideas of these practitioners.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. vi)
• 1 Stanislavski's Theoretical System (p. 1)
• 2 Proposals for Reform: Appia and Craig (p. 27)
• Adolphe Appia (p. 30)
• Edward Gordon Craig (p. 40)
• 3 The Popular Front: Meyerhold and Copeau (p. 55)
• Vsevolod Meyerhold (p. 60)
• Jacques Copeau (p. 76)
• 4 Artaud and the Manifesto (p. 87)
• Contexts (p. 90)
• Writing and the Manifesto (p. 96)
• 5 Grotowski and Theoretical Training (p. 117)
• 'Towards a Poor Theatre' (p. 123)
• Post-Production Writing and Theorizing (p. 132)
• 6 Boal's Theoretical History (p. 147)
• Boal on Aristotle (p. 150)
• Boal on Machiavelli and Shakespeare (p. 155)
• Boal on Hegel and Brecht (p. 159)
• Boal and Freire (p. 169)
• 7 Conclusion: From Theoretical Practitioners to Theorized Performance (p. 173)
• Notes (p. 179)
• Index (p. 193)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Milling and Lay's book is mostly a summary and critical reading (i.e., evaluative assessment) of theorists, theories, and their sources. The authors also attempt to clarify and dispute particular theoretical points and to introduce readers to texts and their contexts (although they give the latter cursory treatment). The selection--and in some cases pairing--of Stanislavsky, Appia and Craig, Meyerhold and Copeau, Artaud, and Boal seems overly familiar and unnecessarily broad yet limiting. The authors' assertion in their preface of the difficulty of theatrical theory seems quaint given the current state of the field, the conservatism of the book's topical choices, and the assumptions that can now be made of and by all but the least-informed reader in the field. This reviewer was disappointed to discover that a volume of "modern theories" includes so little on the vast number of theorists and theorized sources of the 20th century (e.g., the authors devote a scant five pages to theatrical theory after Boal). Much more theory is covered, contextualized, and analyzed in works by Carlson, Reinelt, Roach, et al.--not to mention in all of the books that deal with the aforementioned theorist-practitioners individually--that specific points aside this reviewer cannot argue for the present title. Comprehensive collections only. S. Golub Brown University