Religion, Theatre, and Performance

Religion, Theatre, and Performance
Author :
Publisher : Routledge
Total Pages : 279
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781136483400
ISBN-13 : 1136483403
Rating : 4/5 (00 Downloads)

Synopsis Religion, Theatre, and Performance by : Lance Gharavi

The intersections of religion, politics, and performance form the loci of many of the most serious issues facing the world today, sites where some of the world’s most pressing and momentous events are contested and played out. That this circumstance warrants continued, thoughtful, and imaginative engagement from those within the fields of theatre and performance is one of the guiding principles of this volume. This collection features a diverse set of perspectives, written by some of the top scholars in the relevant fields, on the many modern intersections of religion with theatre and performance. Contributors argue that religion can no longer be conceived of as a cultural phenomenon that is safely sequestered in the "private sphere." It is instead an explicitly public force that stimulates and complicates public actions, and thus a crucial component of much performance. From mystic theologies of acting to the neuroscience of spirituality in rituals to the performance of secularism, these essays address a broad variety of religious traditions, sharing a common conception of religion as a crucial object of discourse—one that is formed by, and significantly formative of, performance.

Theatre: A Very Short Introduction

Theatre: A Very Short Introduction
Author :
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Total Pages : 153
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780191648618
ISBN-13 : 0191648612
Rating : 4/5 (18 Downloads)

Synopsis Theatre: A Very Short Introduction by : Marvin Carlson

From before history was recorded to the present day, theatre has been a major artistic form around the world. From puppetry to mimes and street theatre, this complex art has utilized all other art forms such as dance, literature, music, painting, sculpture, and architecture. Every aspect of human activity and human culture can be, and has been, incorporated into the creation of theatre. In this Very Short Introduction Marvin Carlson takes us through Ancient Greece and Rome, to Medieval Japan and Europe, to America and beyond, and looks at how the various forms of theatre have been interpreted and enjoyed. Exploring the role that theatre artists play — from the actor and director to the designer and puppet-master, as well as the audience — this is an engaging exploration of what theatre has meant, and still means, to people of all ages at all times. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Rethinking Religion in the Theatre of Grotowski

Rethinking Religion in the Theatre of Grotowski
Author :
Publisher : Routledge
Total Pages : 239
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781351854610
ISBN-13 : 1351854615
Rating : 4/5 (10 Downloads)

Synopsis Rethinking Religion in the Theatre of Grotowski by : Catharine Christof

This book opens a new interdisciplinary frontier between religion and theatre studies to illuminate what has been seen as the religious, or spiritual, nature of Polish theatre director Jerzy Grotowski’s work. It corrects the lacunae in both theatre studies and religious studies by examining the interaction between the two fields in his artistic output. The central argument of the text is that through an embodied and materialist approach to religion, developed in the work of Michel Foucault and religious studies scholar Manuel Vasquez, as well as a critical reading of the concepts of the New Age, a new understanding of Grotowski and religion can be developed. It is possible to show how Grotowski’s work articulated spiritual experience within the body; achieving a removal of spirituality from ecclesial authorities and relocating spiritual experience within the body of the performer. This is a unique analysis of one of the 20th Century’s most famous theatrical figures. As such, it is a vital reference for academics in both Religion and Theatre Studies that have an interest in the spiritual aspects of Grotowski’s work.

Acting Religious

Acting Religious
Author :
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages : 173
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781608992119
ISBN-13 : 160899211X
Rating : 4/5 (19 Downloads)

Synopsis Acting Religious by : Victoria Rue

My passion is embodied learning. Through twenty-five years of teaching, I've learned that students engage with material best when their bodies are active participants in the learning process. I have found this to be particularly true in teaching religious studies and theology. --from the Introduction People are torn by conflict, fractured by cultural, religious, racial, and economic divides. Religion has often been a prime motivator for this violence. Classrooms must be places in which we learn to hold differences and commonalities. Classrooms are opportunities to rehearse, to practice, how we want to live with one another. Religions, says Rue, are more than ideas: they are lived, enacted by human beings in particular ways. And courses in religion need more than a cognitive understanding of central concepts. Rue asserts that students need to viscerally encounter belief, religious practice, religious imagination, and religious experience. Acting Religious, a practical handbook, maps a new approach that uses theatre to teach religion. For many years, Rue has used theatre techniques and plays to introduce students to what she calls the experience of religion, showing how theatre makes theological ideas palatable, visceral, and available. Acting Religious is at once a call to experience meaning and a theatre method to embody it. Experienced and beginning teachers at both college and high school levels, as well as religious educators, will learn how to use the following techniques in the religion or theology classroom: improvisation, characterization, memorization, script writing, performance. From these methods, students will be able to engage religious traditions experientially as well as cognitively.

The Performance of Religion

The Performance of Religion
Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Total Pages : 196
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781351999571
ISBN-13 : 1351999575
Rating : 4/5 (71 Downloads)

Synopsis The Performance of Religion by : Cia Sautter

This book explores how religious values are acted out and reflected on in classic Western theatre, with a particular emphasis on the plays put on during the Globe Theatre‘s yearlong season of 'Shakespeare and the Bible'. Each chapter includes ethnographic overviews of the performance of these plays as well as historical and theological perspectives on the issues they address. The Performance of Religion treads new ground in bringing performance and religious studies scholarship into direct conversation with one another. As such, it is essential reading for any academic with an interest in theology, religion and ethics and their expression in culture through the performing arts.

Religion And Theatre

Religion And Theatre
Author :
Publisher : Abhinav Publications
Total Pages : 124
Release :
ISBN-10 : 8170171644
ISBN-13 : 9788170171645
Rating : 4/5 (44 Downloads)

Synopsis Religion And Theatre by : M. L.Varadpande

This Relationship Starts From Ancient Magico-Religious Rituals And Continues Through Ages Right Upto Present Times. In This Long History We Find Different Religions Adopting Different Attitude Towards Theatrical Arts. In Many Cases Theatre Became A Most Powerful Medium Of Propagation Of Religious Creeds. It Was Considered That The Best Way To Appeasse God Is To Offer Him Theatricals. Beautiful Maidens Were Consecrated To The Temples To Serve The Deities By Entertaining Them With Songs, Music, Dance And Drama. One Time The Magnificent Temple Of Brihadeshvara Had In Its Service Four Hundred Devadasis Skilled In Theatrical Arts. Advent Of Bhakti Movement In India Gave New Impetus To The Theatrical Arts In India. Various Theatrical Forms Purported To Depict Leelas Or Divine Acts Of Various Deities Emerged All Over The Country. Grants Were Made To Temples And Religious Establishments To Sustain Theatrical Activities. The Book Gives All Interesting Information About Various Facets Of Theatre-Religion Relationship. The Author, Known For His Erudite Scholarship, Examines Minutely Various Evidences Including Ancient Cave Paintings, Folk And Tribal Rituals, Inscriptions, Religious Scriptures And Theatrical Forms Themselves. The Book Is Must For The Serious Students Of Indology And Indian Theatre.

Performing the Sacred

Performing the Sacred
Author :
Publisher : Baker Academic
Total Pages : 176
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780801029523
ISBN-13 : 080102952X
Rating : 4/5 (23 Downloads)

Synopsis Performing the Sacred by : Todd E. Johnson

A theologian and a theatre artist examine both the nature of theatrical performance within contemporary culture and its relationship to Christian life, faith, and worship.

When Church Became Theatre

When Church Became Theatre
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages : 330
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0195179722
ISBN-13 : 9780195179729
Rating : 4/5 (22 Downloads)

Synopsis When Church Became Theatre by : Jeanne Halgren Kilde

In the 1880s, socio-economic and technological changes in the United States contributed to the rejection of Christian architectural traditions and the development of the radically new auditorium church. Jeanne Kilde links this shift in evangelical Protestant architecture to changes in worship style and religious mission.

The Prophetic Imagination

The Prophetic Imagination
Author :
Publisher : Fortress Press
Total Pages : 180
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0800632877
ISBN-13 : 9780800632878
Rating : 4/5 (77 Downloads)

Synopsis The Prophetic Imagination by : Walter Brueggemann

In this challenging and enlightening treatment, Brueggemann traces the lines from the radical vision of Moses to the solidification of royal power in Solomon to the prophetic critique of that power with a new vision of freedom in the prophets. Here he traces the broad sweep from Exodus to Kings to Jeremiah to Jesus. He highlights that the prophetic vision and not only embraces the pain of the people but creates an energy and amazement based on the new thing that God is doing. In this new edition, Brueggemann has completely revised the text, updated the notes, and added a new preface.

The Theatre of the Occult Revival

The Theatre of the Occult Revival
Author :
Publisher : Springer
Total Pages : 259
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781137448613
ISBN-13 : 113744861X
Rating : 4/5 (13 Downloads)

Synopsis The Theatre of the Occult Revival by : E. Lingan

This book explores the religious foundations, political and social significance, and aesthetic aspects of the theatre created by the leaders of the Occult Revival. Lingan shows how theatre contributed to the fragmentation of Western religious culture and how contemporary theatre plays a part in the development of alternative, occult religions.