Painter, photographer, alchemist--but ultimately, playwright, and outstanding playwright at that--the figure of August Strindberg (1849-1912) towers over late-nineteenth century drama. Strindberg's electrifying theatrical work resonated with the public in his own lifetime, and continues to impress audiences around the globe today. A restless innovator of various dramatic forms, he served as a source of inspiration for legendary figures like Eugene O'Neill, Samuel Beckett, and Ingmar Bergman, and proved seminal to the development of modern drama as we know it. Though Strindberg's preface to "Miss Julie" and his prefatory note to "A Dream Play "are well known," "Strindberg's frequent commentary on drama and theatre in general are less familiar, as are most of his plays. "Strindberg on Drama and Theatre" presents the most important of these comments, chronologically assembled and annotated, many of them published for the first time in English. An essential resource for those interested in one of our most modern playwrights, as well as a thrilling read for the dedicated theatre lover, "Strindberg on Drama and Theatre" provides a fascinating look at one of our most powerful dramatic voices.

This book is a study of August Strindberg's famous drama "Miss Julie, "presented in both Swedish and English. Since it was first performed in 1888, "Miss Julie "has became one of the most successful plays written by Strindberg, widely considered one of the pioneers of modern drama. The book provides a penetrating analysis of the author's text, followed by a close investigation of Ingmar Bergman's much lauded 1985 production at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. "Drama as Text and Performance "is intended as a paradigmatic illustration of similarities and differences between the two media--textand performance and their recipients, readers and spectators.

Though Ingmar Bergman became famous as a filmmaker, his roots-and, to some extent, his heart-were in the theater. He directed more than one hundred plays in his career, and The Serious Game takes a close look at fourteen productions he staged at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. Looking closely at the relationship between the verbal and the visual, this book gives even longtime Bergman fans a new understanding of his sensitivity to nuance, his versatility, and his dedication to craftsmanship. **INCLUDES DVD WITH FOURTEEN VIDEO RECORDINGS, ALL IN COLOUR**