One of our most daring intellectuals offers a Lacanian interpretation of religion, finding that early Christianity was the first revolutionary collective. Slavoj Žižek has been called "an academic rock star" and "the wild man of theory"; his writing mixes astonishing erudition and references to pop culture in order to dissect current intellectual pieties. In The Puppet and the Dwarf he offers a close reading of today's religious constellation from the viewpoint of Lacanian psychoanalysis. He critically confronts both predominant versions of today's spirituality—New Age gnosticism and deconstructionist-Levinasian Judaism—and then tries to redeem the "materialist" kernel of Christianity. His reading of Christianity is explicitly political, discerning in the Pauline community of believers the first version of a revolutionary collective. Since today even advocates of Enlightenment like Jurgen Habermas acknowledge that a religious vision is needed to ground our ethical and political stance in a "postsecular" age, this book—with a stance that is clearly materialist and at the same time indebted to the core of the Christian legacy—is certain to stir controversy.

Because mask improvisation work is relatively new in American theater training, this book is designed not only to acquaint readers with the theory of mask improvisation but to instruct them in the techniques of method as well. Featuring dozens of improvisational exercises in the innovative spirit of Viola Spolin, and supplemented with practical appendices on mask design and construction, forms and checklists, and other classroom materials, this book is an invaluable tool for teacher and student alike, as well as compelling reading for anyone interested in acquiring a deeper understanding of masks as agents of transformation, creativity, and performance.

The Strand is one of London's most iconic streets - today the bustling and thriving home of West End theatres and the luxurious Savoy hotel; in the Victorian era, the Strand was a much more seedy and destitute part of the city. Barry Anthony here explores the criminal and socially subversive behaviour which abounded in and around the Victorian Strand. He introduces us to a vast range of personalities - from prostitutes, confidence tricksters, vagrants and cadgers to the actors, comedians and music hall stars who trod the boards of the Strand's early theatres.

Need answers quickly? Adobe Photoshop CC on Demand provides those answers in a visual step-by-step format. We will show you exactly what to do through lots of full color illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions. Includes * Online Workshops that focus on real-world techniques * Online Adobe certification resources for both ACE and ACA * More than 500 essential Photoshop CC tasks Inside the Book * Improve productivity and efficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud * Use automatic saving options for better efficiency and protection * Use automatic layer alignment and blending to work with objects * Use Adobe Camera Raw to enhance or correct a photo * Use content-aware options for scaling and fill * Create eye-catching images with special effect filters * Select and modify one or more shapes at the same time * Create character and paragraph styles to manage and use text * Transform video in Photoshop just like an image * Create and manipulate 3D models using presets and custom options Numbered Steps guide you through each task See Also points you to related information in the book Did You Know alerts you to tips and techniques Illustrations with matching steps Tasks are presented on one or two pages Bonus Online Content Register your book at queondemand.com to gain access to: * Workshops and related files * Keyboard shortcutsVisit the author site: perspection.com