What do you think?
Rate this book
Exposed by the Mask: Form and Language in Drama
Britain’s Sir Peter Hall is considered by many the most important director in his generation. As the artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and the Old Vic, he has directed the greatest actors of our time in numerous seminal interpretations of Shakespeare and the Classics.
In his latest work, Sir Peter Hall ranges over the extraordinary history of world drama to find the common experiences that are able to create the theatrical form. This series of 4 lectures were delivered at Trinity College in Cambridge as part of the famed Clark lectures which began in the nineteenth century.
The argument of the lectures is that theatre is only created when emotions are contained by a form. That very form paradoxically gives freedom of expression. Thus the Greek mask enables the actor to express hysteria. The mask, whether it may be the actual physical mask on the face, or the form of the drama itself, makes expression possible. Shakespeare’s verse is his mask. Mozart’s sonata is his. And Beckett and Pinter (by the metaphors of their plays) have brought poetry back to the theatre. Without form there can be no freedom.
Peter Hall is currently in Denver, Colorado, in rehearsals for the world premiere production of Tantalus , a 15 hour, 10 play cycle based on Greek tragedy to open at the Denver Center Theatre in October 2000.
In his latest work, Sir Peter Hall ranges over the extraordinary history of world drama to find the common experiences that are able to create the theatrical form. This series of 4 lectures were delivered at Trinity College in Cambridge as part of the famed Clark lectures which began in the nineteenth century.
The argument of the lectures is that theatre is only created when emotions are contained by a form. That very form paradoxically gives freedom of expression. Thus the Greek mask enables the actor to express hysteria. The mask, whether it may be the actual physical mask on the face, or the form of the drama itself, makes expression possible. Shakespeare’s verse is his mask. Mozart’s sonata is his. And Beckett and Pinter (by the metaphors of their plays) have brought poetry back to the theatre. Without form there can be no freedom.
Peter Hall is currently in Denver, Colorado, in rehearsals for the world premiere production of Tantalus , a 15 hour, 10 play cycle based on Greek tragedy to open at the Denver Center Theatre in October 2000.
- GenresTheatrePlaysNonfiction
136 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2000
38 people want to read
About the author
Peter Hall
9 books1 followerSir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall CBE was an English theatre and film director. Hall founded the Royal Shakespeare Company (1960–68) and directed the National Theatre (1973–88), and was prominent in defending public subsidy of the arts in Britain.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 17, 2009
Books come into your life when you need them to - and this book is a wonder.
July 27, 2021
Super easy to read and follow.
Super relevant and useful for my dissertation!
Cheers!
Super relevant and useful for my dissertation!
Cheers!
February 17, 2017
Peter Hall talks interestingly and intelligently on the way the form of drama and the mediums of its performance influenced the authors and continue to influence performance and the effectiveness thereof. I read it on a plane so not everything stuck but I did really enjoy reading it and he did a lot to change my opinion of where to draw the line when it comes to invoking 'death of the author' while working on a production.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews