The Dramatic Imagination: Reflections and Speculations on the Art of the Theatre

by Robert Edmond Jones

The Dramatic Imagination is one of the few enduring works written about set design.
Robert Edmond Jones's innovations in set design and lighting brought new ideas to the stage, but it is greater understanding of design - its role at the heart of theater - that has continued to inspire theater students. The volume includes "A New Kind of Drama," "To a Young Stage Designer" and six other of Jones's "reflections."

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction, Drama, Art, Photography, Theory, 20th Century

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1941

Reviews

[صان · Rating 3 out of 5]

حس میکنم چیز خاصی یاد نگرفتم ازش :-؟

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book very much of opinion on theatre. In saying that what Jones has to say about theatre is so astounding (I found it to be so) and so strong in the language he uses that how could you ever doubt this guy knows what he is talking about. This book is inspirational and really gives you an insight into exactly WHY people seek to attain a theatre life despite lack of pay etc. and why theatre has ALWAYS stood the test of time. It's a life force in very many ways.

This book is fast paced and witty and just actually stunning.

read it. do it.

[Becky Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an industry where we don't often delve into design theory and why it's important to theater, Robert Edmond Jones explore scenic, costume, and lighting design, what makes them good, and how they relate to the larger theoretical exploration of theater. Written in 1941, much of what Jones writes still applies, and the rest is an interesting historical study.

[lids ☆彡 · Rating 4 out of 5]

What sets this book apart from other books i’ve read on theatre (not that i’ve read that many) is that it spends more time talking about the crew members than the actors themselves. With chapters dedicated to set design, costume design, lighting, etc., Jones shows how each job contributes to the greater story.

[Ronnie Avansino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best textbook I’ve ever had to read. Simple articulation with profound ideas. I loved (almost) every single page.

[Joe Basile · Rating 4 out of 5]

my favorite acting teacher in college recommended this book to me. i think its the only theater book i ever read that spoke to me and that i didn't think was completely boring. The book discusses the actor as artist and encourages the reader to think about the importance of all the elements of theater when creating a piece. Its the only acting book i kept since graduating almost 10 years ago. Very inspiring- especially for those who create their own pieces/theater.

[Heather Wirth · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you have ever worked backstage on a production, you will love this book. you will argue with it, possibly throw it down in disgust several times, but you will pick it back up....it's just that good.

[Matthew Fife · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of marvelously well written and well expressed thoughts on the vital importance of true imagination in Theatre. It inspires you as an artist to continue to strive for ever greater heights while fighting to catch the same vision that Bobby had of theatrical potential.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are in love with theatre as much as i am in love with theatre you will find this book very interesting. It is slightly outdated and yet not. I particularly liked the essay The Theatre As It Was and As It Is.

[Joel Ivany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful theatre book, though dated, offers timeless insight into theatre and dramatic presentation.

Touching on most elements of theatre, this scenic designer reveals the foundation of a great theatre and the continued hope for a future one.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every theatre person, and really artist, needs to read and reread this book. It is truly wonderful and is still just as up to date to day as it was when it was written in 1941.

[Thomas Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I have read about theatrical design. It speaks on both a personal artistic and a professional level and I would urge any theatrical designer or practitioner to read it as well.

[Sherrice Mojgani · Rating 2 out of 5]

So here is the thing, there is useful and poetic language in this text about design theory that is rooted in creating something living for actors to activate. But it is fleeting. It is like a idea that is just beginning to be expressed. And to get to it one must wade through 1941 the Patriarchy and white supramcy culture. The Designers are always "He" the historical examples are all western. There is a scarcity mindset at play and a desire to get back to a theatre of magic and ritual, instead of moving forward to a theatre of abundance and growth. So I might pull a passage here or there to share with my students about the history of the study of design, but I won't be recommending it to anyone.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I certainly didn't dislike reading this, and Jones's prose is quite beautiful to experience. That being said, who is this book for? Jones's general musings, while obviously true, lack real substance that can shape the work of serious theatre makers.

No great takeaways, but didn't regret reading it.

[Dustin J Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best theatre book I've come across.

[mengwe · Rating 5 out of 5]

theatre is so special, thank you for this robby! lots of great stuff in here 😊

[josephine miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing 10/10 would recommend. robert edmond jones is a pretentious asshole but like same and he has revived my love for the theater. thank you bobby. i love you.

[Robert]

What pretentious clap trap.

[Chaz Broadbent · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the things Jones talk about are very true about the world of theatre, this text is severely outdated and is a difficult read. I did not enjoy 95% of this book and would not recommend it.

[Pollypollack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has enough little gems scattered around it to make it worth reading.

[Carol Arap · Rating 5 out of 5]

i feel a deep kinship to anyone who speaks about theater with this much care and passion

[Michael DeWhatley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book were particularly compelling, such as the first essay and his writings about stage lighting. All of the essays felt like variations on a theme and waxed poetical past the point of usefulness.

[Nick Orvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slim volume, most of the material of which dates to the 1940s, is probably not essential reading but contains some interesting tidbits for the novice student of theater - and some nice, inspiring portions for the experienced professional. Robert Edmond Jones was one of the most influential and innovative scenic designers of the early 20th century, and the writings here demonstrate both his imagination and the powerful belief in theater as art form, which pervades each essay in sometimes breathless terms. I didn't find myself radically reevaluating any of my ideas about stage design upon reading this book, and some of Jones's references can be dated, or (to put it more accurately) appropriate more to the mid-century intelligentsia than to a modern reader. He lived in a very, very white and male world, and references to Cortez, for example, are meant to evoke "adventure" and "discovery." Modern readers may be more inclined to view these references as reflective of colonialism and violence.

Despite this, Jones's vision - important in his time, but still today - of the theater as a place of magic, wonder, and the superreal is inspiring for those of us who have become used through habit to photorealistic, psychologically driven drama. As theater competes with cinema for audiences (already a problem when Jones was writing), practitioners are moving more and more away from attempts at "realistic" portrayal toward an embrace of the radical liveness of theater. Although some of the middle chapters drag slightly, the last two essays are particularly evocative, and I found this passage near the end of part 7 an enjoyable call to arms:

"The only theatre worth saving, the only theatre worth having, is a theatre motion pictures cannot touch. When we succeed in eliminating from it every trace of the photographic attitude of mind, when we succeed in making a production that is the exact antithesis of a motion picture, a production that is everything a motion picture is not and nothing a motion picture is, the old lost magic will return once more. The realistic theatre, we may remember, is less than a hundred years old. But the theatre - great theatre, world theatre - is far older than that..."
-Robert Edmond Jones.

[Echo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reason I didn't really like this book was because it was assigned reading. The book is very wordy and a bit outdated seeing as he's commenting on all the new things happening in theatre - in the late 30's that is. It's also a collection of reflections he wrote, not a novel on his opinions so the essays sometimes conflict or repeat information. However, if you're running out of inspiration and want to be re-inspired by the theatre, this is the book for you. His descriptions, though lengthy, describe the wonders of the first time at a theatre perfectly.

[Emily Giuffre · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful invitation into conceptual, theatre design. Everyone interested in art should read this, not just designers! The language or manner of speech is a bit "other worldly" but nonetheless, a stimulating catalyst for getting the creative juices going.

[Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

although this book was written long time ago. .. his say toward the theatre as one of the most influencial theatre designer has always been true and true.

[Lucinda Winslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about more than about set design. It is about the whole magical world that can touch this plane through the powers of imagination. And deep respect for that.

[Scotty Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for every theatre person, especially designers.

[Steph]

Good for a theatre technician that needs inspiration, or anyone involved in theatre that is.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book for a scene design class. Interesting commentary on the design process. Good, easy read.