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9780195394801

The Necessity of Theater The Art of Watching and Being Watched

by
  • ISBN13:

    9780195394801

  • ISBN10:

    0195394801

  • Format: Paperback
  • Copyright: 2010-03-19
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press

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Supplemental Materials

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Summary

What is unique and essential about theater? What separates it from other arts? Do we need "theater" in some fundamental way? The art of theater, as Paul Woodruff says in this elegant and unique book, is as necessary - and as powerful - as language itself. Defining theater broadly, including sporting events and social rituals, he treats traditional theater as only one possibility in an art that - at its most powerful - can change lives and (as some peoples believe) bring a divine presence to earth. The Necessity of Theater analyzes the unique power of theater by separating it into the twin arts of watching and being watched, practiced together in harmony by watchers and the watched. Whereas performers practice the art of being watched - making their actions worth watching, and paying attention to action, choice, plot, character, mimesis, and the sacredness of performance space - audiences practice the art of watching: paying close attention. A good audience is emotionally engaged as spectators; their engagement takes a form of empathy that can lead to a special kind of human wisdom. As Plato implied, theater cannot teach us transcendent truths, but it can teach us about ourselves. Characteristically thoughtful, pribing, and original, Paul Woodruff makes the case for theater as a unique form of expression connected to our most human insticts. The Necessity of Theater should appeal to anyone seriously interested or involved in theater or performance more broadly.

Author Biography


Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas

Table of Contents

The Necessity of Theater
The Art of Being Watched
Defining the Art
What Theater Makes
Action Worth Watching: Plot
Staging Choices
People Worth Watching: Characters
Sacred Space
Mimesis
The Art of Watching
Emotion
Empathy
Laughter
Understanding Theater
The Mask of Wisdom
The Necessity of Theater
The Art of Being Watched
Defining the Art
What Theater Makes
Action Worth Watching: Plot
Staging Choices
People Worth Watching: Characters
Sacred Space
Mimesis
The Art of Watching
Emotion
Empathy
Laughter
Understanding Theater
The Mask of Wisdom
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

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