Category Books

Documentary Theatre in the United States: An Historical Survey and Analysis of Its Content, Form, and Stagecraft, Vol. 89 »

Authors: Gary F. Dawson
ISBN-13: 9780313304491, ISBN-10: 0313304491
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated
Date Published: June 1999
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Gary F. Dawson

GARY FISHER DAWSON is an independent scholar, actor, playwright, and director.

Book Synopsis

An historical and analytical survey of the development of documentary theatre in the United States.

Booknews

From John Reed's (1913) to Robert O'Hara's (1998), the founder and director of the Buffalo Ensemble Theatre surveys US documentary theatre to lift confusion concerning this genre vs. docudrama and stimulate interest in its genuine expressions. The author defines such theatre in terms of its primary source documentation and Piscatorian (from Erwin Piscador, the form's founder) stage devices in dramatic reenactments. Appends a chronological sampling with quotes from playwrights, performance texts, and production histories. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

	Acknowledgements
	Introduction
1	Defining Documentary Theatre	1
2	The Authentifying Sign Systems of Documentary Theatre Stagecraft	27
3	Origins in American Documentary Theatre	59
4	The Unities of Documentary Theatre	89
5	Documentary Theatre and Its Classes	125
6	Conclusion	161
App. A	Documentary Theatre Through the Years	171
App. B	Performance Texts	179
App. C	Production Histories	221
App. D	Additional Documentary Plays	231
	Bibliography	235
	Index	245