Enjoyment of Theatre, The [Paperback]

Kenneth M. Cameron (Author), Patti P. Gillespie (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0205174345 | ISBN-13: 978-0205174348 | Publication Date: August 28, 1995 | Edition: 4

Covering the nature of theatre, theatre artists and what they do, the history of theatre, the contemporary theatre, and global theatre, this study is designed for theatre appreciation courses.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The new edition of this highly successful, audience-oriented study of theatre continues to bring readers the expertise of a proven author team-one whose strong academic credentials combine a wealth of actual theatre experience to create a book that effectively conveys the importance and excitement of theatre.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 4 edition (August 28, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205174345
• ISBN-13: 978-0205174348
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,439,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid "Introduction to Theatre" text, October 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Enjoyment of the Theatre (5th Edition) (Paperback)

The story of the textbook is to give students an appreciation of theatre, to delineate theatre from other Art forms such as sculpture, dance, and painting as well as film and sporting events. The text gives a concise and accurate, although thoroughly Western, overview of theatre history with brief emphasis on African and Asian theatre. One is taken Chapter by Chapter through a discovery process from the very broad appreciation of theatre as a performing art to the very specific nuances of various Asian performance techniques. Along the way there are three units broken up into various chapters. Unit one focuses on audience relationship to the stage, the social context of theatre, textual and visual analysis a.k.a audience appreciation. Unit Two analyzes the state of theatre today and occupations in theatre. Unit Three focuses entirely on theatre history with chapters on ancient theatre, the middle ages, neoclassicism, romanticism, avant garde, eclectic and current theatre, and concludes with world theatre (mainly African, Islamic, and Asian). The book's weaknesses are its decidedly Western and Caucasian focus, very little of the text is devoted to non-white theatre and (although much improved on other texts) there are very few multi-cultural photos and illustrations included. Also, there are no plays included in the text. It is difficult to encourage script analysis if no script is included, and one page of a script with blocking scribbled all over it does not suffice. There is not much focus on design besides explaining the role of designers in the theatrical process and showing different illustrations of various historical theatre buildings or areas. Lastly, not knowing how to eloquently state this, there is something disturbing about siphoning Chekhov, Ibsen, the Federal Theatre Project, Kathakali, avant garde, Ira Aldridge etc. to two paragraphs or less. By trying to include so many various historical topics in one relatively small text, the authors have sold many of them short. Overall, If used in combination with lectures or texts on design, live performance, and a collection of world drama or scripts this is a solid and very useful text.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Introduction to Theatre, April 21, 2004

By 

KTA Guy (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enjoyment of Theatre, The (6th Edition) (Paperback)

Let's face it. Most introductory textbooks are pretty much alike: a little history, a little theory, an overview of what theatre professionals do, etc. Cameron and Gillespie give the student a leg up by writing their chapters in a user-friendly format, with chapter objectives, bulleted (main) points, and key terms at the end of the chapter, as well as web sites for further information. They also provide headings and subheadings as chapters progress, helping us digest the material in conceptual chunks rather than one long narrative. As one reviewer pointed out, there are no cuts from plays inserted, but that gives the instructor the freedom to choose his/her own plays to examine in class. Overall, I think it's an excellent introductory text. I especially like the attention to script analysis using Aristotle's Poetics.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Caution: May cause severe eye-rolling and excessive boredom, December 15, 2003

By 

Emily (Stevens Point, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enjoyment of Theatre, The (Paperback)

This book is meant to be informative. It is. Unfortunately, only about 15% of the book contains useful information. It actually takes the time to explain what a standing ovation is: "To show exceptional approval, audiences may stand and applaud (give a standing ovation)." It goes on to explain that if an audience finds something funny they will laugh. Imagine that.