First Published in 1998. This is the second volume of Mask: A Release if Acting Resources, and David Griffiths provides a detailed and sensitive view of the Japanese Noh theatre: historically, philosophically (with an evaluation of Zeami's treatises) and in respect of the rigorous practicalities of Noh training. The latter is given particular authority and insight because of the access Griffiths had to Noh actors in training and performance. Greatly enhanced with the author's illustrations, this volume gives one of the most accessible introductions to Noh that is available in English. Appended to the descriptive and analytic material is a short play, The Dove, written by Griffiths (and subsequently professionally performed) described as 'unashamedly' acknowledging its Noh influence. This one-woman price is a sensitive and evocative drama with subtle references to its cultural source. Is potential as an exercise in mask work is excellent.

First Published in 1998. This is the second volume of Mask: A Release if Acting Resources, and David Griffiths provides a detailed and sensitive view of the Japanese Noh theatre: historically, philosophically (with an evaluation of Zeami's treatises) and in respect of the rigorous practicalities of Noh training. The latter is given particular authority and insight because of the access Griffiths had to Noh actors in training and performance. Greatly enhanced with the author's illustrations, this volume gives one of the most accessible introductions to Noh that is available in English. Appended to the descriptive and analytic material is a short play, The Dove, written by Griffiths (and subsequently professionally performed) described as 'unashamedly' acknowledging its Noh influence. This one-woman price is a sensitive and evocative drama with subtle references to its cultural source. Is potential as an exercise in mask work is excellent.

First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre is the only dictionary that offers detailed comprehensive coverage of the most important terms, people, and plays in the four principal traditional Japanese theatrical forms—nō, kyōgen, bunraku, and kabuki—supplemented with individual historical essays on each form. This updated edition adds well over 200 plot summaries representing each theatrical form in addition to: a chronology; introductory essay; appendixes; an extensive bibliography; over 1500 cross-referenced entries on important terms; brief biographies of the leading artists and writers; and plot summaries of significant plays. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Japanese theatre.

Acting (Re)Considered is an exceptionally wide-ranging collection of theories on acting, ideas about body and training, and statements about the actor in performance. This second edition includes five new essays and has been fully revised and updated, with discussions by or about major figures who have shaped theories and practices of acting and performance from the late nineteenth century to the present. The essays - by directors, historians, actor trainers and actors - bridge the gap between theories and practices of acting, and between East and West. No other book provides such a wealth of primary and secondary sources, bibliographic material, and diversity of approaches. It includes discussions of such key topics as: * how we think and talk about acting * acting and emotion * the actor's psychophysical process * the body and training * the actor in performance * non-Western and cross-cultural paradigms of the body, training and acting. Acting (Re)Considered is vital reading for all those interested in performance.

For centuries the theatre has been one of the major forms of art. How did acting, and its institutionalization in the theatre, begin in the first place? In some cultures complex stories relate the origin of acting and the theatre. And over time, approaches to acting have changed considerably. In the West, until the end of the 19th century, those changes occurred within the realm of acting itself, focusing on the question of whether acting should be 'natural' or 'formal.' Approaches to acting were closely related to the trends in culture at large. Acting became more and more professional and sophisticated as philosophical theories developed and knowledge in the human sciences increased. In the 20th century, the director was established as the most important force in the theater--able to lead actors to pinnacles of their art which they could not have achieved on their own. Approaches to acting in non-Western cultures follow quite different patterns. This book provides a clear overview of different approaches to acting, both historical and contemporary, Western and non-Western, and concludes with a challenge to the future of the art.

In the first volume of his "Mask: A Release of Acting Resources" David Griffiths examines the present state of actor-training, and surveys past experiments and styles developed by Stanislavsky, Meyerhold, Grotowski and Brecht. He recommends a way in which the standards of performance skills in theatre may parallel those already established in other performing arts such as music and dance. The author's philosophy as a theatre practitioner is the mask and here he explains the special skills required to animate it, helping the reader by extensive and cogent use of his own illustrations.

First published in 1997. In the 'Masquerades of Nigeria' and 'Touch', the fourth volume of his mask: A Release of Acting Resources, David Griffiths investigates the use of mask in the Masquerade traditions of West Africa, and specially of Nigeria. The author persuasively argues in favour of a common language of masek performance, and focuses particularly on the manner in which the Nigerian dramatist Wole Soyinka explores the theatrical virtuosity and vibrancy of mask in his plays, specially his 'root' play 'A Dance in the Forests'. David Griffiths then presents his short Trilogy of plays, under the title 'Touch' which he created to explore the intricate subtleties of African mask in a manner accessible to Western actors. 'Touch' is based on Soyinka's play and arguably needs that as a point fo reference- but being directed to rad Soykina is to everyone's benefit.

Focusing on Commedia Dell'Arte, this work provides a historical and critical commentary of the Commedia. It highlights common factors between this genre and that of the Japanese Noh theatre. The author proposes six similarities: characters familiar to their audience and masked, minimal properties and scenery with the focus on the actor, the "families" of performers, a sharp mind as well as an agile body, a professional living on these skills and patronage, and a knowledgeable audience. Complementing this book is the play "Please Be Gentle" which explores the various tricks and devices of Commedia Dell'Arte acting.