Swortzell has constructed a seminal reference work that chronicles the history, current state of artistic achievement, and foremost future needs of children's theater in 44 different countries. Coverage includes the important North American and Western European nations, Eastern European nations such as Hungary and Czechoslovakia, and developing nations such as Sri Lanka and Lethoso. Swortzell's editing and his expertise in children's theater scholarship have produced a work that is tightly configured, clear, authoritative, and organized into an A-Z format (with bold-faced subheadings) that facilitates information extraction. Each national entry incorporates a historical overview of important plays, influential artists and pedagogues; a description of representative companies; and a survey of contemporary children's theater operations, their artistic and educational goals, and the major problems faced in achieving these. A specific bibliography often follows each entry and an extensive final bibliography collates important English-language books, articles, and doctoral dissertations. Swortzell's valuable introduction examines the historical interrelationship of adult and children's theater from the fifth century BCE through 1989 and, more important, isolates and summarizes 21 crucial trends in international children's theater that have emerged form the data in this work. The whole is well written, an excellent first resource for diverse forms of research, and quite accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Subtitled "A Historical and Geographical Source Book," this reference work documents the children's theater movement in 45 countries, defines its current state of artistic achievement, and projects its needs for the future. Arranged alphabetically from Australia to Zimbabwe, entries for each country begin with a historical overview that describes the first important plays and productions as well as influential dramatists, directors, designers, performers, and pedagogues. The history, organization, and significant plays of representative theater companies are provided. There is a survey of contemporary children's theater, its basic operation, its artistic and educational goals, and the major problems faced in achieving these goals. The book concludes with a bibliography of books, articles, and dissertations about children's theater. This welcome addition to secondary school drama collections provides excellent material for reports on theater history. Index. Recommended.
Product Description
After a visit to the Children's Educational Theatre in New York City, the first American theatre intended specifically for children and adolescents, Mark Twain declared that "children's theatre is one of the very, very great inventions of the twentieth century." The Guide is designed as a reference book, surveying theatre for young people in forty-five countries from Australia to Zimbabwe, as well as examining some of the provocative paradoxes, questions, and concerns that plague and inspire children's theatre. Arranged in alphabetical order by country, the Guide documents the history of the children's theatre movement in each country, defines its current state of artistic achievement, and projects its foremost needs for the future. For each chapter, the Guide includes profiles of representative companies. Important productions and influential dramatists, directors, designers, performers, and pedagogues are also mentioned.
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