Space in Performance: Making Meaning in the Theatre (Theater: Theory/Text/Performance) | 
| Author: Gay Mcauley
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 567443
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.9
ISBN: 047208769X
Dewey Decimal Number: 792
EAN: 9780472087693
ASIN: 047208769X
Publication Date: December 8, 2000
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Product Description
Theater, as distinct from other dramatic media, is essentially a relationship between performer, spectator, and the space in which both come together. Space in Performance examines the way theater buildings function to frame the performance event, the organization of audience and practitioner spaces within the building, the nature of the stage and the modes of representation it facilitates, and the relationship between the real space of the theater and the fictional places that are evoked.
The book's theoretical and methodological framework is both semiotic and phenomenological, based in part from the seminal work of Anne Ubersfeld, from direct observation of the rehearsal process, and from documentation and analysis of professional performances. The situation of the academic observer in the rehearsal room has much in common with that of the ethnographer in the field, and contemporary ethnographic practice provides a third theoretical and methodological perspective to this study.
Performance studies is an emerging discipline, and it is still evolving appropriate methodologies. The multi-faceted approach adopted here will engage theater and performance studies specialists, those concerned with modes of representation in contemporary culture, and students of theater, semiotics, architecture, set design, acting and performance theory. It also offers a great deal to theater practitioners as well as to spectators interested in deepening their appreciation of theater art. It is written in a simple, accessible way, and the theory always emerges from descriptions of practice.
"An excellent study that imaginatively summarizes, synthesizes, and intelligently critiques a wide range of previous theory and practice while making an important new contribution to the field of theater studies." --Marvin Carlson, City University of New York
Gay McAuley is Director of the Centre for Performance Studies, University of Sydney.
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| Customer Reviews:
unique study of the theory and practice of theatre June 8, 2001
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
"Theatre is a place where fiction and reality come together to problematize each other. . . The tension between the two is always present, and, indeed, it can be argued that it is precisely the dual presence of the real and the not real that is constitutive of theatre." - G. McAuleyMcAuley combines theoretical work done in performance theory, ethnography, presentational aesthetics, and actor/director training, with her field research done at the Centre for Performance Studies in Sydney, Australia, to present a comprehensive and original examination of the use and influence of space at all levels of the theatrical process. The resulting book is a wonderful resource for any actor, director, theorist, or visual artist who must take seriously the use of space in making meaning. Unlike many other texts dealing with performance theory, "Space in Performance" uses as a foundation detailed analyses of theatre rehearsals, including discussions of actors, directors, and audience members. This style of ethnography is most common in anthropological analyses of religious and cultural rituals-- or less often to the performances of plays-- but McAuley's focus is on process of creating a performance, instead of the performance itself. As a director and theorist, I found McAuley's work unbelieveably useful in thinking about space and meaning. The topics range from the shape and location of the theatre building exterior to the physical arrangement and handling of the printed script. It is a must-read for performance theorists and theatre practitioners.
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