| Performing Communities: Grassroots Ensemble Theaters Deeply Rooted in Eight U.S. Communities Contributor(s): Leonard, Robert H. (Author), Kilkelly, Ann (Author), Cohen-Cruz, Jan (Introduction by) |
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ISBN: 0976605449 ISBN-13: 9780976605447 Publisher: New Village Press OUR PRICE: $18.95 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: April 2006 Annotation: "Performing Communities" is an inquiry into ensemble theater of inner-city Los Angeles, small-town northern California, African-American South, multicultural southern Texas, low-income central Appalachia, economically struggling South Bronx New York and cross-continental Native America. This compendium of critical writing about the role these theaters play in building community shows how these artist groups are not only affected by but forged by working in and with their communities over time. Grassroot ensemble theater is discovered to be neither alternative nor marginalized, but vanguard, a natural evolution of the movement that propelled regional theater "away from the commercial restraints of New York and toward a theater expressive of the rich diversity of American culture." Robert H. Leonard is Professor of Theatre Arts at Virginia Tech and former artistic director of the Road Company, an acclaimed ensemble theater that produced two dozen original plays reflecting the issues of Central Appalachia. Ann Kilkelly is Professor of Theater Arts and Women's Studies at Virginia Tech and a nationally recognized scholar and performer who created the Diversity Training Laboratory that uses performance techniques to examine diversity issues. Linda Frye Burnham is co-director of Art in the Public Interest and the Community Arts Network. She founded "High Performance" magazine and is editor, with Steven Durland, of "The Citizen Artist: 20 Years of Art in the Public Arena," Jan Cohen-Cruz is Director of Theatre Studies in the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She is author of "Local Acts: Community-based Performance In The United States (Rutgers University Press 2005)," |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Performing Arts | Theater - General - Education | Multicultural Education |
| Dewey: 792.097 |
| LCCN: 2006920582 |
| Physical Information: 0.57" H x 6.08" W x 9.02" (0.73 lbs) 242 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Ensemble theater is one of the vibrant, meaningful American performance forms today. It's more than art- it's a social movement. Ensemble theater is one of the hottest, most engaging American performance forms today. It's more than art- it's a movement. Performing Communities is an inquiry into a genre of theater that arises from and empowers the grassroots. The book profiles established ensemble groups from inner-city Los Angeles, small-town northern California, African-American South, multicultural southern Texas, low-income central Appalachia, economically struggling South Bronx New York, and cross-continental Native America. This compendium of critical writing about the role these theaters play in building community shows how these artist groups are forged by working in and with their communities over time. Ensemble theater is discovered to be neither alternative nor marginalized, but vanguard, a natural evolution of the movement that propelled regional theater "away from the commercial restraints of New York and toward a theater expressive of the rich diversity of American culture." It is theater that is politically and emotionally charged. It can be cathartic, healing, and has a proven ability to effect social change. The book Performing Communities is a project of the Community Arts Network. It has been created from interviews, analytical essays, and play excerpts from the "Grassroots Theater Ensemble Research Project," an inquiry into American ensemble theaters that have been working in communities for 10 to 35 years. Although originating from a scholarly report, the language has been edited for a popular audience and offers an intimate glimpse into each local ensemble community. The book will appeal to followers of contemporary and popular theater, social change activists, community building specialists, and a public curious about cultural development in the United States. |
Contributor Bio(s): Leonard, Robert H.: - Robert H. Leonard is a professor in the Department of Theatre Arts at Virginia Tech where he directs the master of fine arts program in directing and public dialogue.Kilkelly, Ann: - Ann Kilkelly is a professor of performance studies in the Department of Theatre Arts and in the Women's Studies Program in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Tech.Cohen-Cruz, Jan: - Jan Cohen-Cruz is a scholar and practitioner of activist and community-based performance. She is currently director of Imagining America, a national consortium of colleges and universities working to strengthen democratic public participation in the humanities, arts, and design. |