Exploring the hidden meanings and dual nature of Greek tragedy, this book delves into the works of its greatest dramatists to enhance understanding of these timeless plays. It invites readers to engage with the complexities of the genre, revealing the significance and relevance of Greek tragedy in contemporary contexts. Through analysis and interpretation, it sheds light on the enduring impact of these classic works on literature and performance.
"This book draws back the curtain and shows how the antique machinery of Shakespeare's theatre works, helping the director to prepare for the myriad challenges they will face in mounting a production. The imaginative time frame begins the moment you learn you'll be directing a play by Shakespeare. Our narrative clock starts ticking from the point you put down the phone and stops when you arrive at the rehearsal hall to begin your first table read. So much of what will be the success or failure of a director's production rests on this work that is done before rehearsals even begin." --
This book is a brief history of the end of the world as seen through the eyes of theatre. Since its inception, theatre has staged the fall of empires, floods, doomsdays, shipwrecks, earthquakes, plagues, environmental degradations, warfare, nuclear annihilation, and the catastrophic effects of climate change. Using a wide range of plays alongside contemporary thinkers, this study helps guide and galvanize the reader in grappling with the climate crisis.Kulick divides this litany of theatrical cataclysms into four distinct historical the Ancients, including Euripides and Bhasa, the legendary Sanskrit dramatist; the Age of Belief, with the anonymous authors of the medieval mystery cycles, Shakespeare, and Pushkin; the Moderns, with Ibsen, Chekhov, Brecht, Beckett, and Bond; and, finally, the way the world might end now, encompassing Caryl Churchill, Tony Kushner, and Anne Washburn . In tandem with the insights gleaned from these playwrights, the book draws upon the work of contemporary scientists, ecologists, and ethicists to further tease out the philosophical implications of such plays and their relevance to our own troubled times. In the end, Kulick shows how each of these ages and their respective authors have something essential to say, not only about humanity's potential end, but, more importantly, about the possibility for our collective continuance.
