Critical Performance studies: Reference Sources

Essential information on the best-known and most important plays in world theatre. Each entry includes details of the title, author, date of writing, date of first performance, genre, setting, and composition of cast; there is also a summary of the play's plot, and a brief commentary. Genres covered include: burlesque, comedy, farce, historical drama, kabuki, masque, melodrama, morality play, mystery play, No, romantic comedy, tragicomedy, satire, and tragedy.

The Routledge Dictionary of Contemporary Theatre and Performance provides the first authoritative alphabetical guide to the theatre and performance of the last 30 years. Conceived and written by one of the foremost scholars and critics of theatre in the world, and drawing on the work of theorists theorists from Derrida to Ranciere, it literally takes us from Activism to Zapping, analysing everything along the way from Body Art and the Flashmob to Multimedia and the Postdramatic.

This thoroughly researched dictionary has nearly 1,800 entries. It is a supplement and companion to Blumenfeld's Dictionary of Acting and Show Business (2009). It provides information about all the various genres of musical theatre; thumbnail plot summaries of works well-known and obscure; thumbnail biographies of composers and writers; and dance, theatrical, singing, and music terminology. Historical terms and foreign terms (with pronunciations) are included along with information on available recordings of many obscure pieces. There are also convenient lists of the works of Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, Gilbert and Sullivan, Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and many others.

A reference book on all aspects of dance performance written by two leading dance writers, Debra Craine and Judith Mackrell. It covers all aspects of the diverse dance world from classical ballet to modern, from flamenco to hip-hop, from tap to South Asian dance forms and includes detailed entries on technical terms, steps, styles, works and countries, in addition to many biographies of dancers, choreographers, and companies. There are entries on Spanish flamenco, Indian bharata natyam, Japanese butoh, classical ballet, and post-modern dance with an emphasis on performance.

This is a handbook for theatre practitioners and a guide for students and scholars of transcultural performance. It is the result of many years of research conducted by Eugenio Barba and the International School of Theatre Anthropology (ISTA) based in Denmark, and is now a classic foundational text. Whereas most Western research is concerned with naturalism and psychological realism in acting, the Dictionary focuses on the actor's arduous and eclectic craft.

With over 500 entries on the most important plays and playwrights performed today, The Theatre Guide provides an authoritative A - Z of the contemporary theatre scene. From Aristophanes to Mark Ravenhill, The Alchemist to The Talking Cure, the Guide is both biographically detailed and critically current, while an extensive cross-referencing system allows for wider perspectives and new discoveries. Stimulating, observant and informative, The Theatre Guide is an essential companion and reference tool for anyone with an active interest in drama.

The Companion is a celebration of the performing arts in Australia regardless of cultural or geographic origin, offering a "multiplicity of voices and perspectives represented." It holds a wealth of information that is not readily available elsewhere and "introduces many previously unaddressed topics." Contents include: Aboriginal influences -- Aboriginal performers of classical music -- Aboriginal protest songs -- Aboriginal songs in land claims -- Aboriginal traditions -- Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association - Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music -- Christian influences on Indigenous arts -- Didjeridu -- Gumleaf playing -- Indigenous adaptations -- Indigenous and other Australians collaborating -- Indigenous arts in the media - Indigenous dance companies -- Indigenous peoples organisations -- Jacky-Jacky -- Sacred Dance -- Songlines -- Torres Strait Islander traditions --

In addition to historical and descriptive materials on dance music and costume, numerous entries provide coverage of methodologies, theories, criticism and the history of dance writing and publication. It offers access to nearly 2,000 articles on all aspects of dance, including theatrical, ritual, dance-drama, folk, traditional, ethnic, and social dance. Cultural and national overviews are accompanied by entries on dance forms, music and costumes, performances, and biographies of dancers and choreographers.

A two volume encyclopedia that surveys traditional and contemporary Asian theatre through hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries written by more than 90 expert contributors