Ben Jonson and Theatre: Performance, Practice and Theory [Hardcover]

Richard Cave (Editor), Elizabeth Schafer (Editor), Brian Woolland (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0415179807 | ISBN-13: 978-0415179805 | Edition: 1

Ben Jonson and Theatre is an investigation and celebration of Jonson's plays from the point of view of the theatre practitioner as well as the teacher. Reflecting the increasing interest in the wider field of Renaissance drama, this book bridges the theory/practice divide by debating how Jonson's drama operates in performance. Ben Jonson and Theatre includes:
* discussions with and between practitioners
* essays on the staging of the plays
* edited transcripts of interviews with contemporary practitioners
The volume includes contributions from Joan Littlewood, Sam Mendes, John Nettles, Simon Russell Beale and Geoffrey Rush, Oscar-winning actor for Shine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is, in short, a book which cannot be easily pinned down or pigeon-holed, and which is all the more provocative as a result. It should appeal strongly to actors, directors, and theatre-goers, as well as to students and teachers of dramatic production, and with luck it will help contribute to a renaissance of Jonsonian stagings.
–Renaissance and Reformation, Robert C. Evans, Auburn University at Montgomery

[T]he book has many strengths and much interest, particularly for those more used to studying Jonson in an academic rather than a dramatic context. Interviews with Simon Russell-Beale, John Nettles, Sam Mendes and Geoffrey Rush point out aspects of Jonson's drama in action that may be lost through simply reading. [I]t generates a new and illuminating perspective on Jonson's technical excellence and imaginative stage-craft in his writing for the theatre..
–Lesley Mickel

About the Author

Richard Cave and Elizabeth Schafer teach at Royal Holloway, University of London. Brian Woolland teaches at Reading University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415179807
• ISBN-13: 978-0415179805
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,405,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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