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Customer Reviews (1)

Its all here..and I like it
If youre a fan of Richard Harris, as I am ,you'll enjoy this biography very much. Richard Harris's life was eccentric on-screen and off; a truly gifted talent of cinema. I recommend watching Man in the Wilderness, Juggernaut, or the Cassandra Crossing. Watch Harris(in fine form) in the Harry Potter movies. Also, Pick up one of his music cds if you can. ... Read more

Book Description
Not in Front of the Audience is a pioneering study of a neglected terrain: the ways London and New York theatre have reflected contemporary social and cultural attitudes to homosexuals and homosexuality.
In the 1920s and '30s, the theatre represented homosexuals as either essentially corrupt or morally pitiful. However, no matter how much homosexual characters were derided and despised, by their refusal to conform they subverted conventional sexual expectations. Whereas the ``woman with a past,'' a common character in late Victorian melodrama, sought happiness through social acceptance, the homosexual looked to a future outside the confines of a conservative heterosexual society. During the Cold War and the heyday of McCarthyism, homosexuality was perceived as not only morally reprehensible, but also politically dangerous. In fact, until 1958, British law forbade the public performance of any play that dealt openly with homosexuality. Only briefly, in the late '60s, did the theatre confront the issue of heterosexual prejudice and its devastating impact on the lives of lesbians and gays. In the wake of the AIDS epidemic, de Jongh concludes, the representation of homosexuality in the theatre has again become an urgent and highly charged issue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Straight from the Inside
Written as a study of homosexuality in the theatre, de Jongh pieces together what he feels are the pivotal gay plays of London and New York from 1925 to 1985.The survey is a pointed one as de Jongh himself admitshe focuses on plays where "homosexual desire precipitates acrisis".The book moves more and more from an examination of theplays within their social and historical context to a first hand account ofgay theatre history from an inside perspective. The author has been atheatre critic since 1970 and even apologizes for the shortcomings of anearly review pleading "delayed innocence" - a beautiful momentfor any kind of artist and a humanizing one for the critics.

At times abit academic, the book may become a difficult read for those without avested interest in the subject matter.For those with a vested interest,the chapters are enjoyable despite the jabs the American theatre takes inthe last two chapters. De Jongh easily journeys from "the deviant, thedamned and the dandified" through the birth of a positive gay identityand ultimatelyto "the return of the outcast" during the earlyyears of the AIDS epidemic.Difficult or not, it is a book that should beread by anyone involved in the theatre and especially those who claim a gayidentity there. Don't look for lesbians though, they are unfortunatelyabsent.

Other titles of interest: Carl Miller's Stages of Desire and Vito Russo's The Celluloid Closet ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

The 3 Estaites is, by common consent, Scotland's greatest play. First performed in Cupar, Fife, in June 1552, it is the earliest surviving Scottish play. In 2000 the play gained a fresh resonance when it celebrated both the Millennium and the rebirth of Scotland's Parliament by returning to Cupar. This contemporary Scots version retains the spirit of Lindsay's script while giving his language a new lease of life.

Book Description
In this fully updated and revised edition of Learning Through Theatre, the contributors chart the development of Theatre in Education (TIE), one of the most significant developments in contemporary theatre. This development has excited and inspired, and at times unnerved, actors and teachers alike, and has provided an important and exciting bridge between theatre and education.

Learning Through Theatre identifies TIE's strengths and provides vivid and illuminating accounts of its practice around the world. The book aims to both stimulate and reform.

Contributors include Gavin Bolton, Wayne Fairead, Jim Mirrione, John O'Toole, David Pammenter, Mark Riherd, Lowell Swortzell, Chris Vine and Cora Williams. ... Read more

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In an age of information saturation, fuelled by the rapid development of the media and surveillance technology, it is no wonder that fear has been growing in recent times over the ownership of this new data and the power that resides in it. 'The Dilemma of Information Logic in Britain' dissects the machinations of media control and the motivations of those who control it. Joe Ukemenam outlines the legislation in place in Britain and other western powers to prevent the abuse of this power, as well as unearthing the manoeuvres used by political organisations to sidestep such legislation. Citing academic and historical examples to support his argument in favour of a public right to a greater access of information, Ukemenam provides a convincing justification for new legislation to curtail government powers over the media, for the public good. Informative, revealing, and more than a little frightening, 'The Dilemma of Information Logic in Britain' is an academic book for the new information age. ... Read more

Book Description
Presents some of the most popularRadio Timescovers of all time and features biographical notes on the illustrators. An exemplary publication. ... Read more

Book Description
The final decade of the nineteenth century was one of the most exciting and productive in the history of the British theatre. In this fascinating collection, twelve leading scholars examine the playwrights, actors, designers, and theatrical environment of the period. As well as shedding new light on such familiar figures as Pinero, H. A. Jones, Beerbohm Tree and Mrs Patrick Campbell, much of the hitherto neglected activity of the period is explored including toga plays, painting and the theatre, theatre architecture, and travelling theatres. The volatile issue of indecency and the music hall is explored and the question of the immorality of the stage is analysed as a recurring theme of the decade. ... Read more