This text is an investigation and celebration of the Jonson canon from the point of view of the theatre practitioner as well as the teacher. Reflecting the increasing interest in the wider field of Renaissance drama, the book bridges the theory/practice divide by debating how Jonson's drama operates in performance and including discussions with and between practitioners. It includes: essays on Jonson on stage; Jonson in the classroom; Jonson and women; and edited transcripts of interviews with contemporary practitioners. Contributors include: Sam Mendes, Geoffrey Rush (Oscar winning actor), Colin Ellwood, Genista Macintosh and John Nettles. The aim of the title is to suggest new perspectives and new possibilities of engaging rewardingly with the drama of Ben Jonson.

This title was first published in 2003. "Jonsonians" explores the theatrical traditions within which Ben Jonson was working, investigates the ways in which his work has influenced and informed the development of theatre from the early 17th century to the present day, and examines Jonson's theatre in relation to 20th- and 21st-century traditions of performance. It argues that although Jonsonian traditions are rarely acknowledged, they are vibrant and powerful forces that are very much alive today in the theatre of writers and directors as diverse as Caryl Churchill, David Mamet, Spike Lee, John Arden, Alan Ayckbourn and Peter Barnes. The book opens with essays on "Poetaster", "Sejanus", "Bartholomew Fair", "The New Inn" and "The Magnetic Lady" - each of which interrogates, in a variety of ways, the notion of "Jonsonian" theatre and considers the relationships of Jonson's theatre to classical traditions, to his contemporaries in England and Europe, and to modern performance practice and theory. The second section of the book includes essays on "The Sons of Ben" (including Richard Brome) Aphra Behn and "Daughters of Ben" (women working in the theatre in the post-Restoration period). The book concludes with an extensive section devoted to modern day Jonsonians, exploring how reading their work as Jonsonian might alter perceptions of contemporary theatre, and how seeing them as contemporary "Jonsonians" might affect our understanding of Jonson's theatre.

Assuming no prior knowledge or experience of drama teaching, Brian Woolland's"Teaching Primary Drama" offers a comprehensive introduction to the teaching of drama in the primary school, and focuses on current initiatives in primary education including the primary literacy strategy.

The text is an invaluable resource for any teacher wishing to adopt a creative approach to teaching in their classroom. It offers guidance on different drama methods, and each practical idea translates to all areas of the curriculum.

"" Teaching Primary Drama] is written in simple terms, uncluttered by references, is refreshingly straightforward and succinct and does not fall into the trap of making a complex subject sound complex; a trait of some texts which can push non-specialists away.""Amanda Kipling, London Drama Magazine, Summer 2010 issue.

Ben Jonson and Theatre is an investigation and celebration of Jonson's plays from the point of view of the theatre practitioner as well as the teacher. Reflecting the increasing interest in the wider field of Renaissance drama, this book bridges the divide by debating how Jonson's drama operates in performance. Ben Jonson and Theatre includes:
* discussions with and between practitioners
* essays on the staging of the plays
* edited transcripts of interviews with contemporary practitioners
This radical re-evaluation of Jonson's theatre is original and innovative in both form and content. It explores the vibrant relationship between actors, directors and academics in their approachers to Jonson. In an effort to open the repertoire to the diversity of Jonson's work, attention is given to rehearsal methods, workshop practices, design, directing, marketing, marginalised theatre history, and all these are considered in the light of recent critical theory. The volume includes contributions from Joan Littlewood, Sam Mendes, John Nettles, Simon Russell Beale and Geoffrey Rush, Oscar-winning actor for Shine.

Assuming no prior knowledge or experience of drama teaching, Brian Woolland'sTeaching Primary Drama offers a comprehensive introduction to the teaching of drama in the primary school, and focuses on current initiatives in primary education including the primary literacy strategy.The text is an invaluable resource for any teacher wishing to adopt a creative approach to teaching in their classroom. It offers guidance on different drama methods, and each practical idea translates to all areas of the curriculum.[Teaching Primary Drama] is written in simple terms, uncluttered by references, is refreshingly straightforward and succinct and does not fall into the trap of making a complex subject sound complex; a trait of some texts which can push non-specialists away.Amanda Kipling, London Drama Magazine, Summer 2010 issue.

This title was first published in 2003. "Jonsonians" explores the theatrical traditions within which Ben Jonson was working, investigates the ways in which his work has influenced and informed the development of theatre from the early 17th century to the present day, and examines Jonson's theatre in relation to 20th- and 21st-century traditions of performance. It argues that although Jonsonian traditions are rarely acknowledged, they are vibrant and powerful forces that are very much alive today in the theatre of writers and directors as diverse as Caryl Churchill, David Mamet, Spike Lee, John Arden, Alan Ayckbourn and Peter Barnes. The book opens with essays on "Poetaster", "Sejanus", "Bartholomew Fair", "The New Inn" and "The Magnetic Lady" - each of which interrogates, in a variety of ways, the notion of "Jonsonian" theatre and considers the relationships of Jonson's theatre to classical traditions, to his contemporaries in England and Europe, and to modern performance practice and theory. The second section of the book includes essays on "The Sons of Ben" (including Richard Brome) Aphra Behn and "Daughters of Ben" (women working in the theatre in the post-Restoration period). The book concludes with an extensive section devoted to modern day Jonsonians, exploring how reading their work as Jonsonian might alter perceptions of contemporary theatre, and how seeing them as contemporary "Jonsonians" might affect our understanding of Jonson's theatre.

1612: Matthew Edgworth is a man on the margins, a trickster on the inside and the outside of society. But this hardened rogue is shaken by his encounters with the occult and challenged by his dealings with four powerful women, each of whom in very different ways forces him into a journey of radical self-discovery. Matthew is employed by Viscount Rochester as a spy and a fixer, and to enable his master's affair with Frances Howard. But a servant with a store of secrets is a dangerous threat. When Frances seems impressed by his unusual skills, Matthew imagines that he can work for them both - until he realises that Frances is as ruthless as he is. But by then he's trapped in a scandalous intrigue that goes to the heart of the Jacobean court, and he'll be hanged for murder, unless he can succeed in one final deadly deception. The Invisible Exchange is a dangerous and darkly humorous view from the Jacobean underworld of one of the great scandals of the Jacobean age: Frances Howard's affair with Viscount Rochester and the strange murder of Sir Thomas Overbury whilst a prisoner in the Tower of London. The evocation of every layer of London life - from its taverns and brothels, gambling dens and prisons to the grand houses and palaces of the court and the aristocracy - is vivid and compelling.

"She shares my tent, she shares my bed. Her flesh is mine." Achilles, the greatest of the Achaean warriors, refuses to fight; angered that King Agamemnon has stolen his captive Trojan slave-girl, Briseis. Drawn from The Iliad, and produced in collaboration with Ashtar Theatre from Palestine, Brian Woolland's taut and poetic new play for Border Crossings brings together Homer's Troy and the Middle East of today: worlds shaken by cycles of violence and revenge, by ambition and self-interest masquerading as idealism; worlds struggling towards any possibility of reconciliation.

A major study of the work of one of Britain's best-known dramatists Peter Barnes was one of the UK's most significant, prolific and enduring playwrights. This book offers a major critical appraisal of the canon of Barnes' work, including a detailed study of his best-known plays, The Ruling Class, Bewitched, Laughter!, Red Noses, and Dreaming, as well as a selection of his television and radio plays which illuminate his thematic concerns, and offer key insights into his dramatic methods. Through this examination, Brian Woolland shows that many of Barnes' plays have remarkable contemporary relevance, and are formally far more innovative than has hitherto been recognised. Woolland analyses the ways in which Barnes uses and subverts theatrical traditions, and relates his work to relevant critical contexts: theatrical, critical and socio-political. Deservedly, Barnes' use of comedy is given special attention. It is a sad truth that Barnes' great talents have not always been acknowledged by the theatrical establishment. In this exciting study, Barnes finally gets the recognition he deserves, as one of the most original, daring and exuberant dramatists of his generation.

The Alchemist has been described as "the greatest farce in the English language". In this newly established edition, Ben Jonson's rich play offers intriguing insights info London life of the early seventeenth century. He satirises and celebrates the confusions and anarchy of a fast-moving city world populated by a fascinating array of diverse and devious characters.Cambridge Literature is a series of study texts which presents writing in the English-speaking world from the 16th century up to the present day. The series includes novels, drama, short stories, poetry, essays and other types of non-fiction. Each edition has the complete text with an appropriate glossary. The student will find in each volume a helpful introduction and a full section of resource notes encouraging active and imaginative study methods.