The Kwagh-hir Theater: A Weapon for Social Action represents a significant milestone in the documentation and theorization of non-Western theater. The book describes how the Tiv people of Nigeria used their indigenous theater to fight against British colonialism and oppression by dominant groups in Nigeria. It celebrates the power of the theater to give voice to the voiceless and to become a catalyst for positive change.

The book is a collection of fifteen plays written by Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher, Africa’s most politically exposed playwright. This rare collection offers a penetrating insight of corruption and politics in Africa well as the global injustices that plagued the world in the last quarter of the 20th century and in contemporary times. Hagher’s unique narrative style is richly inspired by his academic career as Professor of theater and drama and his practical work as actor and director as well as his engagement with the traditional Tiv Kwagh-hir theater. Hagher is master of satire, humor and unending endings. The plays are masterpieces of Hagher’s workshop experiences.

First published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Originally published in 1982, this book explores concepts such as ‘traditional performance’ and African theatre’. It analyses the links between drama and ritual, and drama and music and diagnoses the confusions in our thought. The reader is reminded that drama is never merely the printed word, but that its existence as literature and in performance is necessarily different. The analysis shows that literature tends to replace performance; and drama, removed from the popular domain, becomes elitist. The book’s richness lies in the constantly stimulating analysis of ‘art’ theatre, as exemplified in protest plays, in African adaptations and transpositions of such classical subjects as the Bacchae and Everyman, in plays on African history, on colonialism and neo-colonialism. The final chapters argue that the form of African drama needs to evolve as the content does.

In the two decades since the publication of the second edition, Learning Through Theatre has further established itself as an indispensable resource for scholars, practitioners and educators interested in the complex interrelations between teaching and learning, the performing arts, and society at large. Theatre in Education (TIE) has consistently been at the cutting edge of the ever-growing field of Applied Theatre; this comprehensively revised new edition makes an international case for why, and how, it will continue to shape ways in which the participatory arts contribute to the learning of young people (and increasingly, adults) in the 21st century. Drawing on the experiences and insights of theorists and practitioners from across the world, Learning Through Theatre shows how theatre can, and does, promote: participatory engagement; the use of innovative theatrical form; work with young people and adults in a range of educational settings; and social and personal change. Now transatlantically edited by Anthony Jackson and Chris Vine, Learning Through Theatre offers exhilarating new reflections on the book's original aim: to define, describe and debate the salient features, and wider political context, of one of the most important - and radical - developments in contemporary theatre.

The Performance Arts in Africa is the first anthology of key writings on African performance from many parts of the continent. As well as play texts, off the cuff comedy routines and masquerades, this exciting collection encompasses community-based drama, tourist presentations, television soap operas, puppet theatre, dance, song, and ceremonial ritualised performances. Themes discussed are: * theory * performers and performing * voice, language and words * spectators, space and time. The book also includes an introduction which examines some of the crucial debates, past and present, surrounding African performance. The Performance Arts of Africa is an essential introduction for those new to the field and is an invaluable reference source for those already familiar with African performance.

A collection of essays by distinguished writers, critics and artists which addresses the discipline of African dance both on the continent and in the wider Diaspora. Includes a contribution from the distinguished Jamaican choreographer Sir Rex Nettleford.