Cambridge University Press The Cambridge Companion to American Theatre since 1945 (Cambridge Companions to Theatre and Performance)

The Cambridge Companion to American Theatre since 1945 provides an overview and analysis of developments in the organization and practices of American theatre. It examines key demographic and geographical shifts American theatre after 1945 experienced in spectatorship, and addresses the economic, social, and political challenges theatre artists have faced across cultural climates and geographical locations. Specifically, it explores artistic communities, collaborative practices, and theatre methodologies across mainstream, regional, and experimental theatre practices, forms, and expressions. As American theatre has embraced diversity in practice and representation, the volume examines the various creative voices, communities, and perspectives that prior to the 1940s was mostly excluded from the theatrical landscape. This diversity has led to changing dramaturgical and theatrical languages that take us in to the twenty-first century. These shifting perspectives and evolving forms of theatrical expressions paved the ground for contemporary American theatrical innovation. Book Description Provides an overview and analysis of developments in the organization and practices of American theatre since the end of World War II. About the Author Julia Listengarten is Pegasus Professor and Artistic Director of Theatre at University of Central Florida's School of Performing Arts. Her books include Russian Tragifarce: Its Cultural and Political Roots, Theater of the Avant-Garde, 1950-2000, Playing with Theory in Theatre Practice, and Modern American Playwriting: 2000-2009.Stephen Di Benedetto is Professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre at Michigan State University. Among his numerous publications are The Provocation of the Senses in Contemporary Theatre, An Introduction to Theatre Design, and the co-edited Designer's Shakespeare.