The Applied Theatre Reader

by Tim Prentki (Editor), Nicola Abraham (Editor)

The Applied Theatre Reader is the first book to bring together new case studies of practice by leading practitioners and academics in the field and beyond, with classic source texts from writers such as Noam Chomsky, bell hooks, Mikhail Bakhtin, Augusto Boal and Chantal Mouffe. This new edition brings the field fully up to date with the breadth of applied theatre practice in the twenty-first century, adding essays on playback theatre, digital technology, work with indigenous practitioners, inter-generational practice, school projects and contributors from South America, Australia and New Zealand. The Reader divides the field into key themes, inviting critical interrogation of issues in applied theatre whilst also acknowledging the multi-disciplinary nature of its subject, crossing fields like theatre in educational settings, prison theatre, community performance, theatre in conflict resolution, interventionist theatre and theatre for development. A new lexicon of Applied Theatre and further reading for every part will equip readers with the ideal tools for studying this broad and varied field. This collection of critical thought and practice is essential to those studying or participating in the performing arts as a means for positive change.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enormous book that provides a wide scope of most applied theatre practices that are currently alive in the world. It doesn't zoom in on one field of applied theatre but covers nearly every field. It covers the 'Poetics of representation', 'ethics of representation', 'participation and inclusion', 'intervention', border crossings', 'change' and 'applied theatre and globalisation'. However, for me these sections at times were confusing. I would have found it more helpful if the sections had been organized according to fields like applied theatre and education, community theatre, applied theatre, and disability. If you are looking for essays specifically on applied theatre and education, you have to delve in and read what's there to find out if the essay covers that topic. Another way to look for your topic is to read the notes on the contributors at the beginning (it's helpful they've described each contributor) and look to see what that contributor's specialist subject is. For example, Joe Winston works in theatre and education so anything he has written will have an educational approach.

This is not really a book that will teach you what applied theatre means, how it works, etc. This book is more for the reader who already knows what applied theatre is and is searching for current approaches out there. Some essays offer an in-depth analysis of the approach or practice described and others discuss it vaguely. Overall, this is a helpful and interesting book, that will shed light on current practices in the field of applied theatre more broadly, and is a bible for any applied theatre researcher.