Between Theater and Anthropology [Paperback]

Richard Schechner (Author), Victor Turner (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1985

In performances by Euro-Americans, Afro-Americans, Native Americans, and Asians, Richard Schechner has examined carefully the details of performative behavior and has developed models of the performance process useful not only to persons in the arts but to anthropologists, play theorists, and others fascinated (but perhaps terrified) by the multichannel realities of the postmodern world.

Schechner argues that in failing to see the structure of the whole theatrical process, anthropologists in particular have neglected close analogies between performance behavior and ritual. The way performances are created—in training, workshops, and rehearsals—is the key paradigm for social process.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fascinating for anyone seriously interested in human behavior, full of ideas that lead us to reexamine our thinking about all performances, from the most dramatic to the most seemingly trivial."—New York Times

About the Author

Richard Schechner is University Professor and Professor of Performance Studies at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. He is the founding director of The Performance Group and founding artistic director of East Coast Artists. He is also the author of The End of Humanism, Performance Theory, and The Future of Ritual.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (December 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812212258
• ISBN-13: 978-0812212259
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encompassing and probing, December 22, 2002

By 

David Cisek (Forest Hills, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Between Theater and Anthropology (Paperback)

A book of its time (60s-early 80s), but I'm glad I finally came to it. Generally it contrasts the theories and practices of western innovators (Stanislavski et. al., Brecht, Grotowski, Brooks) against the rituals and traditions of eastern institutions (Kathakali, Noh, Kabuki, ritual events of Bali, India, especially Ramlila). Fascinating diagrams accompany the discussion of performance theory. Loved the essays on performance in "Restoration of Behavior," and "Transported and Transformed." And for both the actor and director, the argument that performance exists somewhere between the "not-me and not-not-me" is compelling.

8 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Victor Turner wrote the Forward., May 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Between Theater and Anthropology (Paperback)

Victor Turner wrote the forward to this book.

He is not its designer