El arte del teatro

Teorie Współczesnego Teatru

by Edward Gordon

Excerpt from On the Art of the Theatre
What should be said as Preface? Should one ask for forgiveness from those one unwittingly offends? Should one admit that words are all nonsense, and that theories, even after one has practised that about which one theorizes, are really of little account? Or should one stand on the threshold and receive one's guests and hope that they will enjoy themselves? I think I shall do the latter.
Well, in this case, my guests are made up of a thousand invited friends and those half-dozen one did not invite and never would invite, because of their very evil or foolish intentions towards our art. For instance, I willingly throw open the doors of this book to my very dear friends the artists, whether they be painters, sculptors, musicians, poets or architects. These, of course, will stand aside for a moment to allow first of all the beautiful ladies to pass. Then there are the scholars. Well, as I have only schooled myself in one particular branch of knowledge, I feel very shy about meeting such guests.
Coming after them is that group of kindly people, men and women, who, without knowing much about art, are fond of it and encourage its growth. These, I am happy to believe, will feel at home here.
Then there are other surprises, those engineers, those directors of journals, those managers of stores, those sea captains, men who startle one by suddenly putting in an appearance and expressing a sincere and hearty desire to join in the festivities.
Last of all, there is what is known as the theatrical profession. How many of these will accept my invitation? A rare few, perhaps, but certainly the best.
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Genres: Art, Theatre, Nonfiction, Plays, Drama

Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[lizzie mcguire · Rating 2 out of 5]

very idealistic for sure, but an interesting and recommended read for anyone with interest in theater

[Robert Reinhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Craig's early 20th century seminal work catapulted the ideas of his great successors - Stanislavski, the Actor's Studio, Peter Brook - amalgamating all the crafts (scenic design), movement, scene, action and voice that coheres on a stage dynamically.After reading this you'll likely attend a play and react differently in the future. His essay on the ghosts in Shakespeare's plays - especially Macbeth - expands the feeling of the play and other theatre enormously,

[Becky Raines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well. Craig is over dramatic--to the point of being foolish at times--and he's a little bit whiny and with a healthy dose of misogyny, this can be a trying read. The editor's notes are helpful both in tempering Craig and in providing context to the time. Craig has some interesting ideas, though, and it's fun to play with how they've evolved since the early 1900s.

[Juli · Rating 5 out of 5]

grandios, so spannend

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Craig's idea of actors as marionettes, little more than mindless slaves of the director is interesting on the page and probably works well in film, but is rather dull when put into practice on stage. For me, the thrill of live theater is the chemistry between actors, seeing what each brings to the performance, under the unifying force of a strong directorial vision. Part of me wonders if Craig conceived of his brainchild after the hair-tearing experience of directing a pack of egotistical, flakey actors ("What's my motivation?" "i'm having an existential crisis and will therefore be two hours late to every rehearsal"). Craig's ideas on set design and lighting, however, were revolutionary and continue to be in use to this day.

This work is highly recommended to theater majors or anyone else with a love of the theater and an interest in its evolution.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this book in the way I did not because I agree with all his opinions (his definition of art, sexism, etc.) but it was such an interesting read and an interesting way to think about theatre, as well as a snapshot of a particular theatrical era.