Download or read book Women in Traditional Chinese Theater written by Qian Ma and published by University Press of America. This book was released on 2012-08-17 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women in Traditional Chinese Theatre seeks to introduce Western readers to Chinese classical drama as well as investigate how women have traditionally been portrayed on stage by presenting original translations of six plays from the fourteenth to twentieth centuries. Framed with a comprehensive introduction to the Chinese theatre and its representation of women, each play is preceded by an interpretative summary of the plot, and an analysis of each play's theme and significance. The selections in this volume feature women representing the most popular female archetypes in Chinese literature: the paragon of virtue, the stoic sufferer, the faithful wife, the femme fatal, and others. Appealing to both scholars and general enthusiasts of theatre, literature, and women's studies, this book reveals how the cultural constructs of Chinese women are represented in dramatic literature, and how the theatre, in turn, shapes this representation into the cultural perception of women.
Download or read book Emily Mann written by Alexis Greene and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-11-01 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emily Mann: Rebel Artist of the American Theater is the story of a remarkable American playwright, director, and artistic director. It is the story of a woman who defied the American theater's sexism, a traumatic assault, and illness to create unique documentary plays and to lead the McCarter Theatre Center, for thirty seasons, to a place of national recognition. The book traces and describes Emily Mann's family life; her coming-of-age in Chicago during the exuberant, rebellious, and often violent 1960s; how sexual violence touched her personally; and how she fell in love with theater and began learning her craft at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while a student at Radcliffe. Mann's evolution as a professional director and playwright is explored, first at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, where she received an MFA from the University of Minnesota, then on and off Broadway and at regional theaters. Mann's leadership of the McCarter is examined, along with her battles to overcome multiple sclerosis and to conquer—personally and artistically—the memories of the violence she experienced when a teenager. Finally, the book discusses her retirement from the McCarter, while amplifying her ongoing journey as a theater artist of sensitivity and originality. Mann's many awards include the 2015 Margo Jones Award, the 2019 Visionary Leadership Award from Theatre Communications Group, and the 2020 Lilly Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2019, she was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement in the American Theater.
Download or read book Victorian Women and the Theatre of Trance written by Amy Lehman and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spiritualists in the nineteenth century spoke of the "Borderland," a shadowy threshold where the living communed with the dead, and where those in the material realm could receive comfort or advice from another world. The skilled performances of mostly female actors and performers made the "Borderland" a theatre, of sorts, in which dramas of revelation and recognition were produced in the forms of seances, trances, and spiritualist lectures. This book examines some of the most fascinating American and British actresses of the Victorian era, whose performances fairly mesmerized their audiences of amused skeptics and ardent believers. It also focuses on the transformative possibilities of the spiritualist theatre, revealing how the performances allowed Victorian women to speak, act, and create outside the boundaries of their restricted social and psychological roles.
Download or read book From Aphra Behn to Fun Home written by Carey Purcell and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-12-04 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theatre has long been considered a feminine interest for which women consistently purchase the majority of tickets, while the shows they are seeing typically are written and brought to the stage by men. Furthermore, the stories these productions tell are often about men, and the complex leading roles in these shows are written for and performed by male actors. Despite this imbalance, the feminist voice presses to be heard and has done so with more success than ever before. In From Aphra Behn to Fun Home: A Cultural History of Feminist Theatre, Carey Purcell traces the evolution of these important artists and productions over several centuries. After examining the roots of feminist theatre in early Greek plays and looking at occasional works produced before the twentieth century, Purcell then identifies the key players and productions that have emerged over the last several decades. This book covers the heyday of the second wave feminist movement—which saw the growth of female-centric theatre groups—and highlights the work of playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Pam Gems, and Wendy Wasserstein. Other prominent artists discussed here include playwrights Paula Vogel Lynn and Tony-award winning directors Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor. The volume also examines diversity in contemporary feminist theatre—with discussions of such playwrights as Young Jean Lee and Lynn Nottage—and a look toward the future. Purcell explores the very nature of feminist theater—does it qualify if a play is written by a woman or does it just need to feature strong female characters?—as well as how notable activist work for feminism has played a pivotal role in theatre. An engaging survey of female artists on stage and behind the scenes, From Aphra Behn to Fun Home will be of interest to theatregoers and anyone interested in the invaluable contributions of women in the performing arts.
Download or read book The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Women on Stage written by Jan Sewell and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-04-29 with total page 850 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together nearly 40 academics and theatre practitioners to chronicle and celebrate the courage, determination and achievements of women on stage across the ages and around the globe. The collection stretches from ancient Greece to present-day Australasia via the United States, Soviet Russia, Europe, India, South Africa and Japan, offering a series of analytical snapshots of women performers, their work and the conditions in which they produced it. Individual chapters provide in-depth consideration of specific moments in time and geography while the volume as a whole and its juxtapositions stimulate consideration of the bigger picture, underlining the challenges women have faced across cultures in establishing themselves as performers and the range of ways in which they gained access to the stage. Organised chronologically, the volume looks not just to the past but the future: it challenges the very notions of ‘history’, ‘stage’ and even the definition of ‘women’ itself.
Download or read book Starring Women written by Sara E. Lampert and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2020-11-09 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women performers played a vital role in the development of American and transatlantic entertainment, celebrity culture, and gender ideology. Sara E. Lampert examines the lives, careers, and fame of overlooked figures from Europe and the United States whose work in melodrama, ballet, and other stage shows shocked and excited early U.S. audiences. These women lived and performed the tensions and contradictions of nineteenth-century gender roles, sparking debates about women's place in public life. Yet even their unprecedented wealth and prominence failed to break the patriarchal family structures that governed their lives and conditioned their careers. Inevitable contradictions arose. The burgeoning celebrity culture of the time forced women stage stars to don the costumes of domestic femininity even as the unsettled nature of life in the theater defied these ideals. A revealing foray into a lost time, Starring Women returns a generation of performers to their central place in the early history of American theater.
Download or read book Feminism and Theatre written by Sue-Ellen Case and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-09-03 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This classic study is both an introduction to, and an overview of, the relationship between feminism and theatre.
Download or read book Nothing Like a Dame written by Eddie Shapiro and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-01-31 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Nothing Like a Dame, theater journalist Eddie Shapiro opens a jewelry box full of glittering surprises, through in-depth conversations with twenty leading women of Broadway. He carefully selected Tony Award-winning stars who have spent the majority of their careers in theater, leaving aside those who have moved on or occasionally drop back in. The women he interviewed spent endless hours with him, discussing their careers, offering insights into the iconic shows, changes on Broadway over the last century, and the art (and thrill) of taking the stage night after night. Chita Rivera describes the experience of starring in musicals in each of the last seven decades; Audra McDonald gives her thoughts on the work that went into the five Tony Awards she won before turning forty-one; and Carol Channing reflects on how she has revisited the same starring role generation after generation, and its effects on her career. Here too is Sutton Foster, who contemplates her breakout success in an age when stars working predominately in theater are increasingly rare. Each of these conversations is guided by Shapiro's expert knowledge of these women's careers, Broadway lore, and the details of famous (and infamous) musicals. He also includes dozens of photographs of these players in their best-known roles. This fascinating collection reveals the artistic genius and human experience of the women who have made Broadway musicals more popular than ever-a must for anyone who loves the theater.
Download or read book Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Plays by Women written by Penny Farfan and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2021-07-22 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores how women playwrights illuminate the contemporary world and contribute to its reshaping
Download or read book Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World written by Kate Pankhurst and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-02-22 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards 'Significantly more engaging and inspiring than the rival Rebel Girls' GUARDIAN 'It's hard to imagine any group of primary-aged children who wouldn't be inspired' BOOKSELLER 'An absolute must-have for every young person's bookshelf' HUFFINGTON POST Now a stunning hit musical! Kate Pankhurst, descendent of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, has created a wildly wonderful and accessible book about women who really changed the world. Discover fascinating facts about some of the most amazing women who changed the world we live in! · Fly high with incredible explorer and pilot Amelia Earhart · Discover the Wonderful Adventures of medical pioneer Mary Seacole · Fight for your rights with legendary civil rights activist Rosa Parks · Change the face of books forever with superstar novelist Jane Austen Bursting full of beautiful illustrations and astounding facts, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World is the perfect introduction to just a few of the most incredible women who helped shaped the world we live in. A fantastic gift for girls and boys alike! List of women featured: Jane Austen, Gertrude Ederle, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Amelia Earhart, Agent Fifi, Sacagawea, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, Anne Frank
Download or read book Gender and Medieval Drama written by Katie Normington and published by DS Brewer. This book was released on 2004 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evidence from Records of Early English Drama, social, literary and cultural sources are drawn together in order to investigate how performances within the late Middle Ages were both shaped by, and shaped, the public image of women."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book 100 Great Plays for Women written by Lucy Kerbel and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This important, landmark survey dispels the myth that there aren't any good plays for women.
Download or read book Imagining Medea written by Rena Fraden and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2012-12-30 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This ain't no Dreamgirls," Rhodessa Jones warns participants in the Medea Project, the theater program for incarcerated women that she founded and directs. Her expectations are grounded in reality, tempered, for example, by the fact that women are the fastest growing population in U.S. prisons. Still, Jones believes that by engaging incarcerated women in the process of developing and staging dramatic works based on their own stories, she can push them toward tapping into their own creativity, confronting the problems that landed them in prison, and taking control of their lives. Rena Fraden chronicles the collaborative process of transforming incarcerated women's stories into productions that incorporate Greek mythology, hip-hop music, dance, and autobiography. She captures a diverse array of voices, including those of Jones and other artists, the sheriff and prison guards, and, most vividly, the women themselves. Through compelling narrative and thoughtful commentary, Fraden investigates the Medea Project's blend of art and activism and considers its limits and possibilities for enacting social change. Rhodessa Jones is co-artistic director of the San Francisco-based performance company Cultural Odyssey and founder of the Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women. An award-winning performer, she has taught at the Yale School of Drama and the New College of California.
Download or read book The Worth of Women written by Moderata Fonte and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2007-11-01 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gender equality and the responsibility of husbands and fathers: issues that loom large today had currency in Renaissance Venice as well, as evidenced by the publication in 1600 of The Worth of Women by Moderata Fonte. Moderata Fonte was the pseudonym of Modesta Pozzo (1555–92), a Venetian woman who was something of an anomaly. Neither cloistered in a convent nor as liberated from prevailing codes of decorum as a courtesan might be, Pozzo was a respectable, married mother who produced literature in genres that were commonly considered "masculine"—the chivalric romance and the literary dialogue. This work takes the form of the latter, with Fonte creating a conversation among seven Venetian noblewomen. The dialogue explores nearly every aspect of women's experience in both theoretical and practical terms. These women, who differ in age and experience, take as their broad theme men's curious hostility toward women and possible cures for it. Through this witty and ambitious work, Fonte seeks to elevate women's status to that of men, arguing that women have the same innate abilities as men and, when similarly educated, prove their equals. Through this dialogue, Fonte provides a picture of the private and public lives of Renaissance women, ruminating on their roles in the home, in society, and in the arts. A fine example of Renaissance vernacular literature, this book is also a testament to the enduring issues that women face, including the attempt to reconcile femininity with ambition.
Download or read book Women who Write Plays written by Alexis Greene and published by Smith & Kraus. This book was released on 2001 with total page 564 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book DescriptionIn this collection of 25 interviews, theater critic Alexis Greene talks with women who write plays for the American stage. She explores topics such as cultural background, playwriting style, the challenges of sustaining a career, and the relationship between life and art. These in-depth conversations provide unique insights into the work, thought processes, and personalities of an extraordinary group of writers. About the AuthorAlexis Greene is chief drama critic for In Theater magazine. Prior to that she was theater critic for Theater on Ms. Taymor's book, Pride Rock: The Lion King on Broadway (Hyperion). Ms. Greene is co-founder of the national service organization Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) and has taught theater at Hunter College, Vassar College, and New York University. She holds a Ph.D. in Theatre Criticism from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.Week magazine. Recently she collaborated with Julie Taymor.
Download or read book Women s Deliberation written by Theresa Varney Kennedy and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Deliberating the Heroine in Early Modern French Womens Theater argues that women playwrights used their heroines as a vehicle through which to question traditional views on women. Denied the powers of cleverness, the authority of deliberation, and the right to speak, heroines were often excluded from central roles in plays by leading male playwrights from this period. Women playwrights, on the other hand, embraced the ideas necessary to expand the boundaries of female heroism. Heroines in tragicomedies, comedies, and tragedies from the mid-seventeenth through the mid-eighteenth centuries reflect a shift in mentalities toward rationality and female agency. Author Theresa Kennedy argues that the deliberative heroine, emerging at the dawn of the eighteenth century, is the most fully developed, exuding all the characteristics of the modern-day heroine. Though she embodies many of the qualities of her heroine counterparts, she also responds to them. Only the deliberative heroine, based on Enlightenment ideals"such as womens ability to rationalize and the complex interplay between reason and sentiment"truly liberates female characters from a history of traditional roles. Whereas other heroines act in accordance with social construct or on impulse, the deliberative heroine is active, and her determination to follow through with her own line of reasoning"that involves both mind and heart"enables her to determine the outcome of events. In the end, this new generation of heroines ushered in an era where women playwrights could make their own contribution to dramatic works at the dawn of the Age of Enlightenment."--Provided by publisher.
Download or read book Beyond Spain s Borders written by Anne J. Cruz and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2016-11-03 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 10 Isabel Farnese and the Sexual Politics of the Spanish Court Theater -- Index