Publisher Description

'Every theatre professional needs this book' Amazon ReviewAuthor David Chadderton Price £10.99 Format Paperback, 215 x 135mm, 978-1-84285-424-2Here is how theatre was created. Many people enjoy theatre but just who were the people who established theatre as we know it? What lies at the 'beating heart' of this book is a fascinating profile of seven pioneering figures and the stories of how they developed their approach to theatre.The Theatre MakersThe book covers-Stanislavki's legacy,-The 'system' in rehearsal,-Edward Gordon Craig and style,-Brecht and Artaud, Grotowski, Brooke and BoalReviews on Amazon… Chadderton go into enough background information on the main theatre practitioners that have shaped and revolutionised the industry we know, but gives plenty of easy to set up and work through practical exercises based on each of the 'Theatre Makers' theories.For a one stop shop resource on Konstantin Stanislavski, Edward Gordon Craig, Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht, Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Brook, Augusto Boal, then you really can't go wrong with this book. I have thumbed the pages so many times creating lesson plans and workshops and have recommended to so many colleagues, that I can safely recommend this book to you all.

Author Biography

David Chadderton has been teaching theatre, from primary schools and youth groups up to undergraduate, for more than 25 years and has written two books on the subject: Practical Drama (2002 and 2006) and The Theatre Makers (2008), both published by Studymates. He also has a BA (hons) in Theatre Studies from Rose Bruford College and an MA in scriptwriting from University of Glamorgan. He currently teaches undergraduates at Rose Bruford College and drama workshops for Mainstream Theatre Arts.He has written and directed scripts for young performers and young audiences, from pantomimes and dance shows to theatre-in-education programmes. Besides BTG, he has written for a number of publications and appeared as a specialist on local and national radio and TV, plus he produced and presented his own weekly theatre show on a community radio station in East Cheshire for more than three years. He is a member of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain and the Critics' Circle.

Table of Contents

1 Konstantin Satnislavski; 2 Edward Gordon Craig; 3 Antonin Artaud; 4 Berolt Brecht; 5 Jerzy Grotowski;6 Peter Brook; 7 Augusto Boal; Further refernce, Glossary of Terms, Index

Review

5.0 out of 5 starsEvery theatre professional needs this book; ByJ. Robertson; Having taught Theatre Studies & GCSE drama for over 5 years and also being a freelance Actor/Director I have found many uses for David Chadderton's expertly written and accessible book.Not only does Chadderton go into enough background information on the main theatre practitioners that have shaped and revolutionised the industry we know, but gives plenty of easy to set up and work through practical exercises based on each of the 'Theatre Makers' theories.For a one stop shop resource on Konstantin Stanislavski, Edward Gordon Craig, Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht, Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Brook, Augusto Boal, then you really can't go wrong with this book. I have thumbed the pages so many times creating lesson plans and workshops and have recommended to so many colleagues, that I can safely recommend this book to you all.;Extremely useful text book By Christineon Easy to assimilate and translate into your teaching.

Long Description

The seven theatre artists looked at in the following chapters were all practical men of the theatre (one of them, Peter Brook, is still alive and still producing work) who dedicated their lives to working with actors and putting productions on stage. Between them they also produced a substantial amount of theoretical work, which helps to explain their theatre work and the context in which it was produced, as well as documenting the methods they used to create it. Theatre, however, is the most ephemeral of all artforms, and so for most of these great artists the productions have long gone and the theories are all that remain. The people who produced some of the most innovative and exciting drama of the twentieth century are therefore often thought of as dull theoreticians whose work is difficult to understand, outdated and impossible to implement in real productions. The work that they produced themselves and their continuing influence on theatre, film, television, education, politics, popular culture, rock concerts, drug culture and many other areas of modern life would seem to contradict thisidea. The aim of this book is to bring the practice and the theory back together, using practical examples to aid understanding of the theoretical principles. Some of the exercises used here have been taken or adapted from ones used by the practitioners; others have been specially devised to clarify a particular concept. Many of these theories were created after practical experiments, and so the exercises in this book use practical experiments to try to discover what they were trying to achieve and how they achieved it. Trying out the methods of these practitioners will bring a much deeper understanding of what they were trying to achieve than just reading about theirwork.

Review Text

Studymates is a division of North Wales based publisheres GLMP Ltd.review on Amazon 5.0 out of 5 starsEvery theatre professional needs this bookBy J. RobertsFormat: PaperbackHaving taught Theatre Studies & GCSE drama for over 5 years and also being a freelance Actor/Director I have found many uses for David Chadderton's expertly written and accessible book.Not only does Chadderton go into enough background information on the main theatre practitioners that have shaped and revolutionised the industry we know, but gives plenty of easy to set up and work through practical exercises based on each of the 'Theatre Makers' theories.For a one stop shop resource on Konstantin Stanislavski, Edward Gordon Craig, Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht, Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Brook, Augusto Boal, then you really can't go wrong with this book. I have thumbed the pages so many times creating lesson plans and workshops and have recommended to so many colleagues, that I can safely recommend this book to you all.

Author Comments

David Chadderton teaches theatre studies in higher education. He is well known in the theatre in the North West of England and has appeared as a guest expert on the BBC.

Details