Foam Patterning and Construction Techniques: Turning 2D Designs into 3D Shapes explains how to create your theatrical prop, puppet, or costume design using the unique and tricky medium of foam. Step-by-step instructions, photographs, and explanations illustrate how to translate your design from paper to reality by creating custom "skin" patterns, followed by creation of a foam mockup. The book details how to bring your project to life with varied finishing techniques, including using fur and fabric coverings and dying and painting foam. Numerous supplies, tools, and safety procedures and protocols are also covered.

Covering every phase of a theatrical production, this fourth edition of Sound and Music for the Theatre traces the process of sound design from initial concept through implementation in actual performances. The book discusses the early evolution of sound design and how it supports the play, from researching sources for music and effects, to negotiating a contract. It shows you how to organize the construction of the sound design elements, how the designer functions in a rehearsal, and how to set up and train an operator to run sound equipment. This instructive information is interspersed with 'war stores' describing real-life problems with solutions that you can apply in your own work, whether you're a sound designer, composer, or sound operator.

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.

The popularity of fantasy blockbusters and sci-fi television has made the call for prosthetic artists a staple requirement in the majority of film crews. Prosthetic make-up has the ability to transform actors into unique, one-of-a-kind characters who take us into the realms of impossibility, limited only by the artist's imagination. Yet it can also be used in more subtle ways to alter physical appearance and create ageing, weight gain or illness, useful for a variety of genres and entertainment mediums. This instructional book offers a fascinating insight into the world of prosthetic make-up artistry. It illustrates two- and three-dimensional make-up techniques and covers topics such as: life casting; sculpting techniques; gelatine prosthetics; airbrushing; hair punching; hand-laid hair techniques and novelty teeth design and manufacture.

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

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

This well-established and respected directory supports actors in their training and search for work in theatre, film, TV, radio and comedy. It is the only directory to provide detailed information for each listing and specific advice on how to approach companies and individuals, saving hours of further research. From agents and casting directors to producing theatres, showreel companies, photographers and much more, this essential reference book editorially selects only the most relevant and reputable contacts for the industry. Covering training and working in theatre, film, radio, TV and comedy, it contains invaluable resources such as a casting calendar and articles on a range of topics from your social media profile to what drama schools are looking for to financial and tax issues. With the listings updated every year, the Actors' and Performers' Yearbook continues to be the go-to guide for help with auditions, interviews and securing/sustaining work within the industry. An invaluable professional tool that anyone working in the industry will benefit from. Actors' and Performers' Yearbook 2023 is fully updated and features a new foreword by Syrus Lowe.

Basic. This is the key word in Scenic Design and Lighting Tecniques: A Basic Guide for Theatre, written by two seasoned professionals with over twenty years of experience. This book is designed to show you how to turn a bare stage into a basic set design, without using heavy language that would bog you down. From materials and construction to basic props and lighting, this book explains all you will need to know to build your set and light it.
* Be inspired by the images of real productions and learn from the instructional images
* Learn from designer's concepts and drawings from actual professional and university productions
* Know that after reading this book, you'll be equiped with exactly what you NEED to know to design your stage scenery and lighting

Harold Pinter's Betrayal received its premiere at the National Theatre, London, in November 1978. After an initially guarded critical response, the work was rapidly revaluated and won the Olivier Award for Best New Play the following year. Set in London and Venice the play has an innovative chronology that opens at the end of an affair and works its way backwards over nine years, from 1977 to 1968. It is widely considered one of the playwright's pivotal works.

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.

"This richly illustrated volume explores the Lobanov-Rostovsky collection... includes a thorough glossary and bibliography" Apollo "The essays and commentaries here provide valuable documentation and insights into the designs, their genesis, and the extent of this astonishing period in theatrical history" The Financial Times Masterpieces of Russian Stage Design 1880-1930 examines the Lobanov-Rostovsky collection of stage design, in turn outlining the history of modern Russian art: one of the most important interludes within the cultural renaissance of the early twentieth century. Unique in size, scope, and composition, the collection is unequalled; artists include celebrities such as Bakst, Benois, Goncharova, Larionov, Malevich, Popova, Rodchenko, and Tatlin as well as less familiar names such as Anisfeld, Lissim, Remisoff, and Soudeikine. This volume (the first of a two-part set) includes over 200 colour illustrations of selected designs as well as an introduction, interview, indices (to artists, theatre companies, and primary productions), a glossary of terms, and a comprehensive bibliography for the visual and performing arts in Russia. From Neo-Nationalism and Symbolism through Cubo-Futurism and Suprematism to Constructivism and Socialist Realism, Masterpieces of Russian Stage Design guides the reader through the movements, styles, productions and projects that attracted many of Russia's early twentieth-century artists to the stage. The companion volume, Encyclopedia of Russian Stage Design ISBN: 9781851497195 (to be published in 2013), is the catalogue raisonne of the Lobanov-Rostovsky collection.

A sumptuously illustrated survey of the remarkable flowering of radical, visionary and experimental design for performance in Russia in the twenty years between 1913 and 1933. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Russian theatre produced an unprecedented period of creative radicalism and collaborative experimentation. Against the turbulent backdrop of the First World War and the Russian Revolution, the avant-garde movement transformed Russia's cultural landscape as visionaries from several disciplines generated a vortex of innovative performance and design. The astounding body of work produced by Kazimir Malevich, Alexander Rodchenko, Vladimir Tatlin, Sergei Eisenstein and Liubov Popova, among others, overturned traditions in art, music, literature and theatre. This book explores the importance and influence of a seminal moment in twentieth-century culture - one that still resonates today. Published to accompany a major exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum in association with the Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum in Moscow, this book includes essays by experts from Russia, Britain and America illustrated with over 150 images from leading artists and designers, many of which are previously unpublished. Edited by John E. Bowlt, Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Southern California, the result is an astonishing record of a period of creative innovation that redefined not only what was possible in theatre and the avant-garde, but in wider artistic practices too. It will be of interest both to theatregoers and art historians, as well as current and future designers seeking inspiration for their own work.

The Environment on Stage: Scenery or Shapeshifter? investigates a pertinent voice of theatrical performance within the production and reception of ecotheatre. Theatre ecologies, unavoidably enmeshed in the environment, describe the system of sometimes perverse feedback loops running through theatrical events, productions, performances and installations. This volume applies an ecoaware spectatorial lens to explore live theatre as a living ecosystem in a literal sense. The vibrant chemistry between production and reception, and the spiralling ideas and emotions this generates in some conditions, are unavoidably driven by flows of matter and energy, thus, by the natural environment, even when human perspectives seem to dominate. The Environment on Stage is an intentionally eclectic mix of observation, close reading and qualitative research, undertaken with the aim of exploring ecocritical ideas embedded in ecotheatre from a range of perspectives. Individual chapters identify productions, performances and installations in which the environment is palpably present on stage, as it is in natural disasters such as floods, storms, famine, conflict and climate change. These themes and others are explored in the context of site-specificity, subversive spectators, frugal modes of narrative, the shifting 'stuff' of theatre productions, and imaginative substitutions. Ecotheatre is nothing less than vibrant matter that lets the environment speak for itself

A 'how to' book for actors who want to develop a 'can do' attitude to their profession in the face of rejection and intense competition. Feeling despondent about the acting profession? Been out of work for longer than you care to remember? Starting to resent the injustices of the job and the success of other actors? If so, An Attitude for Acting will inspire you to break out of the cycle of despondency and start to view yourself as a creative and autonomous individual who is valuable and employable. The book focuses on: * Maintaining a healthy attitude * Dealing with negative emotions * Keeping productive and motivated * Developing self-belief and getting the support you need * Turning discouragement into activity and opportunity * Coping with nerves * Preparing for auditions * Being included and not feeling left out * Building a value system that includes trust, responsibility, flexibility, creativity, adaptability and courage The book, by theatre director/teacher Andrew Tidmarsh and executive coach/neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart, contains a series of intensely 'hands-on' exercises - some for practising alone, others for doing with friends or colleagues. These techniques will enable you to free yourself from potential states of inertia and hopelessness, and prevent any feelings of worthlessness becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, you will develop a self-confident, 'can-do' mentality that will help you shape the career you want. Whether you've just completed your training and want to start your career with confidence or you've been acting a while and are having difficulty planning the next stage, this book will help you on your path to surviving - and thriving - as an actor.

Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound, 4e relies on the professional experience of the author and other top sound craftspeople to provide a comprehensive explanation of film sound, including mixing, dubbing, workflow, budgeting, and digital audio techniques. Practically grounded with real-world stories from the trenches throughout, the book also provides relevant technical data, as well as an appreciation of all the processes involved in creating optimal motion picture sound. New to this edition are exclusive sound artist lessons from the field (including 2 new production cases studies), including insight from craftspeople who have worked on the latest Harry Potter and Batman films. Any and all technological changes have been updated, and new to this edition is the inclusion of a fully revamped DVD. All of the features from the prior edition's DVD are still included, but new to this one is a series of 10 minute video interviews with professional motion picture sound craftspeople, including established supervising sound editors, music composers, dialog editors, sound transfer engineers, foley artists, mastering engineers, and dozens others.

This urgent and provocative study explores contemporary Shakespeare performance to bring a sense of theatre as technology into view. Rather than merely using technologies, the theatre's distinctively intermedial character is essential to its complex technicity; the changing function of gesture and costume, of written documents in the making of performance, of light and sound, and of the interplay of live and recorded acting complicate the sense of theatre as a medium. In a series of probing discussions, Worthen interrogates the interaction of live and mediated acting onstage, the impact of written media from the handwritten scroll to the small-screen app in acting as a techne, the work of Original Practices as an interactive modern theatre technology, the economies of theatrical immersion, and the consequences of an emerging algorithmic theatre, providing a richly theoretical reading of the stakes of theatre as an always-emerging technology.

The highly successful 'Bible for any stage manager', now in a revised and updated edition. The stage manager is at the core of every successful theatre production: organising, managing and running rehearsals and performances; researching and procuring the props and furniture; and providing a creative information flow between the production and design departments. This handbook is for students, graduates and all those who aspire to stage management, whether amateur or professional, on a large or small scale. Complete with charts and helpful checklists, it takes the reader through a typical production, week by week. Other useful topics covered are: Team dynamics and job roles Theatre unions Health and Safety legislation The job market Stage management tech Production templates Management techniques and interpersonal skills As well as updated information and resources throughout, this new edition includes two brand new chapters: case studies of professional stage managers and producers working in the field, and an essay on creativity in stage management. 'A comprehensive guide for the aspiring stage manager' Alan Ayckbourn

Transforming Space over Time: Set Design and Visual Storytelling with Broadway's Legendary Directors tells the stories of six diverse productions: five on Broadway and one Off-Broadway. Beowulf Boritt, theater designer and Tony Award winner, begins with the moment he was offered each job and takes readers through the conceptual development of the set, in collaboration with the director, the challenges of its physical creation, and the intense process of readying it for the stage. Since theater is at heart a collaborative art form, he includes details of his work with the many professionals-designers, technicians, producers, stage managers, and actors-who contribute their talent and ideas to each show. Boritt offers insight into the sometimes frustrating but unavoidable realities of the "biz" part of showbiz: budgets, promotion, reviews, and awards, and he provides enough detail to interest aspiring and seasoned theater professionals and enough spice to satisfy passionate theatergoers. Boritt includes extensive conversations with the directors of the productions, theater legends such as James Lapine, Kenny Leon, Hal Prince, Susan Stroman, Jerry Zaks, and Stephen Sondheim. Each takes a very different approach to theater, which necessitates a different approach to collaboration. By focusing on a variety of specific shows Boritt has worked on, he attempts to peel back the curtain on the creative and intellectual process-in particular, the way his designs develop over time, in concert with the director and other members of the creative team. Transforming Space over Time is about the creative journey of a production.

The Handbook of Model-making for Set Designers describes the entire process of making scale models for stage sets, from the most basic cutting and assembling methods to more advanced skills, including painting, texturing and finishing techniques, and useful hints on presenting the completed model. Many drawings and colour photographs of the writer's own work illustrate the text. Some state-of-the-art computerized techniques are described here for the first time in a book of this kind, including many ways in which digital techniques can be used in combination with the more traditional methods to enhance the model-maker's work. This book will be of use not only to theatre designers, but to anyone with an interest in scale models of any kind.

`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

"Seventy-five percent of what we do at rehearsal does not enter the performance." - Constantin Stanislavski
Susan Letzler Cole's firsthand account of the rehearsal sessions of acclaimed directors and actors offers a view of what is often hidden from the public eye: what actors and directors do when they prepare a dramatic text for performance.
Directors in Rehearsal is based on hundreds of hours observing and recording the directorial work process. The author has closely observed prominent directors working with texts ranging from Shakespeare and Chekhov to the Wooster Group's recent experiments. The result of her extensive research is a rare behind-the scenes look at 10 theatre directors rehearsing actual productions - Broadway and off-Broadway, political and experimental, text-centered and company created.

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.

With a new foreword by Stewart Pringle, Playwright and Dramaturg of the National Theatre of Great Britain. Winner of the 1997 Theatre Book Prize Peggy Ramsay was the most admired British play agent of the twentieth century. With a matchless ability to visualise a play just by reading it on the page, she set up in business in 1953, and over the years nurtured and developed the most dazzling client list which included Eugene Ionesco, Joe Orton, Robert Bolt, David Mercer, John McGrath, Iris Murdoch, John Mortimer, James Saunders, Peter Nichols, Charles Wood, Ann Jellicoe, Edward Bond, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Alan Ayckbourn, Caryl Churchill, Howard Brenton and Willy Russell. Her role in the development of modern British drama was central. One of the most remarkable things about her was her instinctive generosity. Peggy believed that the living playwright belonged at the centre of the theatre. A theatre without new writing talent to refresh it was worthless.

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.

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.