Whether you're in a professional or a community theatre, part of a historical re-enactment, or teaching costume construction, a well-made hat provides a much-needed finishing touch to a costume. Period Reproduction Buckram Hats: The Costumer's Guidebook is your one-stop resource for learning how to recreate historically accurate buckram hats. Each chapter is devoted to the construction of a particular hat, beginning with a historical image and followed by an list of the exact amount of fabric, tools, and materials needed and the estimated time to complete the construction. Every chapter contains a brief historical background on each hat, a pattern, step-by-step instructions, process photographs, and ideas for altering the pattern to fit your unique production. This book not only provides instruction for the exacting reproduction of historic hats, but it also guides and encourages you to alter patterns and techniques to create your own designs. The final chapters outline general millinery principles that can be applied to almost any hat, allowing you to customize your project.

Essentials of Period Style: A Sourcebook for Stage and Production Designers covers the visual, social, and political dynamics of multiple epochs and cultures and discusses how these trends affect the design of the architecture, costumes, and furnishings of the time. This book relates these characteristics and cultural movements to the design needs students encounter as they design a period production. Each chapter contains examples of period style in both theatre and film from a variety of notable productions and a glossary of specialized terms and words used in the chapter. Technological and aesthetic developments that affect design, lighting, and music are also included. This is a textbook meant for Period Styles courses in Theatre programs.

In the first edition of A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, Steve Shelley cracked open his production book and showed how to prepare a lighting design and create the paperwork needed to mount a production. In the second edition, he pulled back the curtain and showed the methods and processes that go on before the light plot is finalized and ready to go to into the shop, even dealing with cutting the plot in half. In this third edition, Shelley throws the door wide open and shows step-by-step how to construct every lighting system in the Hokey light plot. Combining his diacritical analysis, killer drafting, and analytic use of the Slinky Method and Slinky Calculations, he presents the Periodic Table of Fundamental Lighting Systems and shows the basic methods used to create multi-instrument lighting systems. Highlights include: -Over 100 new topics, including analysis and application of the three categories of collaboration; a detailed examination of production meetings and one-on-one meetings; and meeting checklists with management and the creative team. -Over 50 new illustrations, including Shelley's Periodic Table of Fundamental Lighting Systems; groundplans, sections, and front elevations that illustrate basic system wash configurations for each direction of light. -Analysis, calculation, and step-by-step technical construction of each lighting system in the Hokey light plot. -Explanation of a manufacturer's cut sheet, and how to apply basic formulas to determine the beam size, footcandles, and gel transmission for lighting instruments. -Updated process of pre-programming computer lighting consoles prior to the load-in. -Comprehensive overview of archiving paperwork and softcopy for a production.

This newly-updated volume looks at the scope of Augusto Boal's career from his early work as a playwright and director in Sao Paulo in the 1950s, to the development of his ground-breaking manifesto in the 1970s for a 'Theatre of the Oppressed'. Offering fascinating reading for anyone interested in the role that theatre can play in stimulating social and personal change, this useful study includes: a biographical and historical overview of Boal's career as theatre practitioner and director an in-depth analysis of Boal's classic text on radical theatre an exploration of training and production techniques practical guidance to Boal's workshop methods This is an essential introduction to the work of a practitioner who has had a tremendous impact on contemporary theatre. As a first step towards critical understanding, and as an initial exploration before going on to further, primary research, Routledge Performance Practitioners are unbeatable value for today's student.

Technical Design Solutions for Theatre is a collection of single-focus articles detailing technical production solutions that have appeared in The Technical Brief Collection, a publication of the Yale School of Drama's Technical Design and Production Department. The primary objective of the publication was to share creative solutions to technical problems so that fellow theatre technicians can avoid having to reinvent the wheel with each new challenge. The range of topics includes scenery, props, painting, projections, sound, and costumes. Each article describes an approach, device, or technique that has been tested onstage or in a shop. Great reference of tips and solutions to persistent technical challenges in theatre production Solutions provided by contributors from over twenty different producing organizations Ten years of The Technical Brief Collection articles bound in each of three volumes A comprehensive index to all three volumes included in Volume III

Everything you always wanted to know about theatrical stage lighting but were afraid to ask! All the basics are here in this comprehensive text for students of all ages. All of the latest lighting instruments and technical information is described in easy-to-understand and well-defined terms. The fundamentals of manipulating the key (source) light and shadow, intensity and balance, changing focus and mood and more are explained in detail with illustrations. The creative process of expressing emotion, pace and intent, as well as following cues, plots and schedules are also covered along with the production process of working with directors in rehearsal and performance. A valuable resource for anyone working with theatrical productions. Five parts: Tools and Terminology, Manipulating Light, The Lightning Process, The Creative Process, The Production Process.

Written by the Deputy Head of Make-Up and Wigs at the National Theatre, this book opens up a process that very few people will otherwise be privy to, giving perspectives on the preparation before a production and responsibilities during, as well as looking more widely at training, career opportunities and success. It does so through drawing upon some of the most adventurous and challenging productions mounted at the National Theatre and elsewhere. From designing and fitting wigs to managing lighting-fast quick changes, hair, wigs and make-up people are a major part of the creation of any theatrical production. Yet their role and contribution are much less discussed and written about than elements such as writing, directing and acting, despite being critical to defining and executing the aesthetic of a production. Their involvement requires a great deal of research and creative thinking; collaboration with other members of the creative team; specific knowledge of wig-making and measuring, make-up design and application; and managing all of these elements during the course of the evening. Often required to cover all three elements (and sometimes more), the designer looking after hair, wigs and make-up needs to bring to the production multiple areas of expertise and is a core part of the creative team.

This introduction to theatre design explains the theories, strategies, and tools of practical design work for the undergraduate student. Through its numerous illustrated case studies and analysis of key terms, students will build an understanding of the design process and be able to:

• identify the fundamentals of theatre design and scenography
• recognize the role of individual design areas such as scenery, costume, lighting and sound
• develop both conceptual and analytical thinking
• Communicate their own understanding of complex design work
• trace the traditions of stage design, from Sebastiano Serlio to Julie Taymor.

Demonstrating the dynamics of good design through the work of influential designers, Stephen Di Benedetto also looks in depth at script analysis, stylistic considerations and the importance of collaboration to the designer s craft.

This is an essential guide for students and teachers of theatre design. Readers will form not only a strong ability to explain and understand the process of design, but also the basic skills required to conceive and realise designs of their own.

Why are so many women still not properly listened to? Why do they sometimes feel that they're less interesting than they are? Why do they often rush when they speak? Why do some women feel the pressure to sound like little girls? From one of the world's leading experts on the voice comes this call to arms for women to reclaim their voices. Using elements of experience and practice from her prolific career, Patsy Rodenburg examines these questions, and many more, to decipher what lies at the heart of female empowerment. From the age of four, Rodenburg knew that she found communication difficult. Her struggle with her own voice set her on the journey that led her to discover her vocation. She has spent her life re-finding and re-empowering voices, particularly the lost voices of women. Watching her highly intelligent working-class mother and grandmother ignored and often silenced gave her the insight to investigate why that was and how to help women overcome this centuries-old issue. With warmth and humour, Rodenburg interrogates Shakespeare's texts and his presentation of female characters; develops the notion of rhetoric in relation to the female voice; and applies concepts explored in her previous books, including The Three Circles of Energy. And, perhaps most crucially, through arguing that power and voice are directly linked to breath, Rodenburg makes the case that Western society's oppression of women has diminished their natural ability to breathe. Exploring the female voice through practical exercises and stories from the front line, as well as profoundly personal and formative experiences from her own life, Rodenburg defines the art of accessing the voice within and reclaiming the woman's right to speak.

"This step-by-step, user friendly guide covers every aspect of stage management and can take any would-be stage manager at any level of theatre and turn them into an expert who will be the ultimate asset to your production."
-Tom Paster, Director of Musical Theatre, Northern Highlands Regional High School, NJ
"It's entertaining, informative and practical - a great resource for the "how-to" questions, and a terrific overview for anyone involved in the process of making theater."
-Les Gutman, Producing Director, Friendly Fire Theatre, NYC
Are you about to stage manage your first show and have no idea where to start? This book offers simplified guidelines for a complicated job and gives a step-by-step process for organizing auditions, rehearsals, the technical aspects, and performances. The author understands the pressures of the beginning stage manager and proceeds to calm those fears in a no-nonsense handbook. This "survival guide" gives detailed descriptions or examples of all the forms and lists the stage manager must use in production. An essential read for the novice stage manager in high school, college or community theatre.
About the Author
Mary Ellen Allison is a working stage manager with over thirty years of professional experience from Broadway to community theatre. Her credits include shows with award-winning theatre artists, such as: Horton Foote, Jean Stapleton, Allison Janney, Jim Dale, Andrew Lippa, and Frank Langella. She teaches stage management at Ramapo College of New Jersey and was named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 2003-2004.

The experiences of a diverse range of progressive theater and performance makers in their own words. Curated stories from over 75 interviews and informal exchanges offer insight into the field and point out limitations due to discrimination and unequal opportunity for performance artists in the United States over the past 55 years. In this work, performers, often unknown beyond their immediate audience, articulate diverse influences. They also reflect on how artists are educated and supported, what content is deemed valuable and how it is brought to bear, as well as which audiences are welcome and whether cross-community exchange is encouraged. The book's voices bring the reader from 1965 through the first wave of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020. They point to more diverse and inclusive practices and give hope for the future of the art.

Emphasising the artistry behind the decisions made by theatrical sound designers, this guide is for anyone seeking to understand the nature of sound and how to apply it to the stage. Through tried-and-tested advice and lessons in practical application, The Art of Theatrical Sound Design allows developing artists to apply psychology, physiology, sociology, anthropology and all aspects of sound phenomenology to theatrical sound design. Structured in three parts, the book explores, theoretically, how human beings perceive the vibration of sound; offers exercises to develop support for storytelling by creating an emotional journey for the audience; considers how to collaborate and communicate as a theatre artist; and discusses how to create a cohesive sound design for the stage.

A practical, accessible and inspiring guide to using puppetry in theatre - the perfect entry point for anyone looking to use puppets in their productions, to explore what puppets can do, or to develop their puppetry skills. Written by an experienced theatre and puppetry director, Puppetry: How to Do It focuses on the performer and the craft of bringing any puppet to life. No puppet-making is required to use this book: starting just with simple objects, it lays out the skills required to unlock a puppet's limitless potential for expression and connection with an audience. Inside you'll discover fifty practical, easy-to-follow exercises - for use in a group or on your own - to develop elements of the craft, build confidence and help you improve your puppetry through play and improvisation. Also included are sections on different types of puppet, thinking about how the puppeteer is presented on stage and how to direct and devise puppet performances Ideal for actors and performers, for directors and designers, and for teachers and students of all ages and levels of experience, this book will demystify the art of puppetry, and help you become more confident and creative with all kinds of puppets and objects on stage. 'Based on the workshops he developed for training performers for War Horse, Mervyn has written this book to share his craft... the exercises are clear and easily reproducible for many different types of participants... a wonderful gift to the field of puppetry. I hope that it will be used widely to introduce adventurous spirits to this dynamic art form.' Cheryl Henson, President of the Jim Henson Foundation, from her Foreword.

This up-to-date, full-color makeup manual is designed to lie open on the makeup table right as a guide for student, amateur, or professional performers.

A couture of the risque evolved on a bridge of fashion from Paris nightclubs to Las Vegas casinos. A one-time writer for sexy magazines and on style, the author, with contributions from many experts on topics from Paris to feathers and sequins explores that entertainment story, and the hedonism behind it. For over a century, France exported costumes and millinery, as well as whole productions from the Moulin Rouge, the Lido, and Folies Bergere in Paris to the United States and the world. French has meant luxury, sexuality and fashion. In large part, the concept of glamour itself was founded in what French courtesans and French burlesque performers wore in Paris. Where did the costume typifying showgirls originate and from what? Whereas fashion implies change, the iconic showgirl costume stabilized into feathers, sparkle and revealing clothes by 1910. A tall pretty girl wearing a headdress, nude core with spangles, high heels, and dramatic makeup came to be a Gallic symbol. She performed a role of the dissimulation of sexual availability with now venerable features. She was the fizz on intoxication with no hangover, and by the 1920s, the trademark of Hollywood musicals. More recently, while showgirls are an endangered species, the scanty French cabaret clothes have translated into today's day, sport and evening clothes.

Scenography - the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment - is an increasingly popular and key area in performance studies. This book introduces the reader to the purpose, identity and scope of scenography and its theories and concepts. Settings and structures, light, projected images, sound, costumes and props are considered in relation to performing bodies, text, space and the role of the audience. Concentrating on scenographic developments in the twentieth century, the Introduction examines how these continue to evolve in the twenty-first century. Scenographic principles are clearly explained through practical examples and their theoretical context. Although acknowledging the many different ways in which design shapes the creation of scenography, the book is not exclusively concerned with the role of the theatre designer. In order to map out the wider territory and potential of scenography, the theories of pioneering scenographers are discussed alongside the work of directors, writers and visual artists.

From the basics of physical forces and mathematical formulas to performer flying and stage automation, "Entertainment Rigging for the 21st Century" provides you with insider information into rigging systems and the skills you need to safely operate them. Over the past decade, the entertainment industry has witnessed major changes in rigging technology, as manually operated rigging has given way to motorized systems in both permanent and touring productions, and greater attention has been paid to standardizing safety practices. This book leads you through what is currently happening in the industry, why it s happening, and how. Accessible for riggers and non-riggers alike, it contains details on the technology and methodology used to achieve the startling effects found in concerts and stage shows.

With a foreword written by Monona Rossol, this text contains contributions from industry leaders including:

• Rocky Paulson
• Bill Gorlin
• Tray Allen
• Roy Bickel
• Keith Bohn
• Karen Butler
• Stuart Cox
• Bill Sapsis
• Dan Culhane
• Eddie Raymond
• Chris Higgs
• Carla Richters
• Joe McGeough
• Scott Fisher

Scenography - the manipulation and orchestration of the performance environment - is an increasingly popular and key area in performance studies. This book introduces the reader to the purpose, identity and scope of scenography and its theories and concepts. Settings and structures, light, projected images, sound, costumes and props are considered in relation to performing bodies, text, space and the role of the audience. Concentrating on scenographic developments in the twentieth century, the Introduction examines how these continue to evolve in the twenty-first century. Scenographic principles are clearly explained through practical examples and their theoretical context. Although acknowledging the many different ways in which design shapes the creation of scenography, the book is not exclusively concerned with the role of the theatre designer. In order to map out the wider territory and potential of scenography, the theories of pioneering scenographers are discussed alongside the work of directors, writers and visual artists.

The Craft and Art of Scenic Design: Strategies, Concepts, and Resources explores how to design stage scenery from a practical and conceptual perspective. Discussion of conceptualizing the design through script analysis and research is followed by a comprehensive overview of execution: collaboration with directors and other designers, working with spaces, developing an effective design process, and the aesthetics of stage design. This book features case studies, key words, tip boxes, definitions, and chapter exercises. Additionally, it provides advice on portfolio and career development, contracts, and working with a union. This book was written for university-level Scenic Design courses.

Kinaesthesia and Visual Self-reflection in Contemporary Dance features interviews with UK-based professional-level contemporary, ballet, hip hop, and breaking dancers and cross-disciplinary explication of kinaesthesia and visual self-reflection discourses. Expanding on the concept of a 'kinaesthetic mode of attention' leads to discussion of some of the key values and practices which nurture and develop this mode in contemporary dance. Zooming in on entanglements with video self-images in dance practice provides further insights regarding kinaesthesia's historicised polarisation with the visual. It thus provides opportunities to dwell on and reconsider reflections, opening up to a set of playful yet disruptive diffractions inherent in the process of becoming a contemporary dancer, particularly amongst an increasingly complex landscape of visual and theoretical technologies.

`I consider this book a precious report that permits one to assimilate some of those simple and basic principles which the self-taught at times come to know, yet only after years of groping and errors. The book furnishes information regarding discoveries which the actor can understand in practice, without having to start each time from zero. Thomas Richards has worked with me systematically since 1985. Today he is my essential collaborator in the research dedicated to Art as Vehicle.' - from the Preface by Jerzy Grotowski

Widely referred to as the "bible of stage makeup," the timely revision of this classic text addresses principles and techniques in the use of makeup for the contemporary performer. This extensive exploration of the application and use of stage makeup and makeup for a variety of performance venues covers all aspects in detail and contains over 1000 photographs, drawings, and diagrams demonstrating step-by-step procedures. Thoroughly updated and revised, this classic text remains accurate and comprehensive, providing information from which all readers - whether students new to the field or seasoned, professional makeup artists - will benefit. New to this edition: Updated full-color photography throughout Expanded information on makeup design and application 48 new step-by-step instructions in color Expanded chapter on modeling with highlights and shadows New chapter on cross-gender makeup New instruction on making dentures, noses, and face casting New instructions for creating zombies, animals, aging effects, and trauma Expanded information on makeup for television and film Up-to-date information on Special Effects makeup Up-to-date information on prosthetic makeup Updated chapters on facial hair and wigs Updated resources for products, advanced training, and health and safety

Digital Theatre is a rich and varied art form evolving between performing bodies gathered together in shared space and the ever-expanding flexible reach of the digital technology that shapes our world. This book explores live theatre performances which incorporate video projection, animation, motion capture and triggering, telematics and multisite performance, robotics, VR, and AR. Through examples from practitioners like George Coates, the Gertrude Stein Repertory Theatre, Troika Ranch, David Saltz, Mark Reaney, The Builder's Association, and ArtGrid, a picture emerges of how and why digital technology can be used to effectively create theatre productions matching the storytelling and expressive needs of today's artists and audiences. It also examines how theatre roles such as director, actor, playwright, costumes, and set are altered, and how ideas of body, place, and community are expanded.

Unbuttoned: The Art and Artists of Theatrical Costume Design documents the creative journey of costume creation from concept to performance. Each chapter provides an overview of the process, including designing and shopping; draping, cutting, dyeing, and painting; and beading, sewing, and creating embellishments and accessories. This book features interviews with practitioners from Broadway and regional theatres to opera and ballet companies, offering valuable insights into the costume design profession. Exceptional behind-the-scenes photography illustrates top costume designers and craftspeople at work, along with gorgeous costumes in progress.

This book explores some of the less frequently questioned ideas which underpin comics creation and criticism. "Mise en scene" is a term which refers to the way in which visual elements work together to create meaning in comics. It is a term that comics have borrowed from cinema, which borrowed it in turn from theatre. But comics are not film and they are not cinema, so how can this term be of any use? If we consider comics to have mise en scene, should not we also ask if the characters in comics act like the characters on film and stage? In its exploration of these ideas, this book also asks what film and theatre can learn from comics.