The Art of Theatre: Then and Now

Author:   William Downs, Jr. ,  Wright (University of Wyoming) ,  Erik Ramsey (Ohio University)
Publisher:   Cengage Learning, Inc
Edition:   5th edition
ISBN:  

9780357656983


Publication Date:   13 March 2026
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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The Art of Theatre: Then and Now


Overview

""The Art of Theatre: Then and Now,"" 5th Edition, isn’t just about history or scripts, it’s about how theatre connects to your life. Each chapter starts with a short, engaging intro that explains why the topic matters and how creativity, collaboration and storytelling can help you see the world (and yourself) in new ways. Explore real-world issues like freedom of speech, censorship, copyright and the role of the arts in today’s culture -- all through the lens of live performance. Along the way, you’ll discover how theatre compares to TV and film, and why the stage remains such a powerful space for truth, emotion, and imagination. If you want extra support, the optional MindTap® digital tools make it easy to study, review and stay on track -- anytime, anywhere. The Art of Theatre helps you think creatively, express yourself boldly and see the world like an artist.

Full Product Details

Author:   William Downs, Jr. ,  Wright (University of Wyoming) ,  Erik Ramsey (Ohio University)
Publisher:   Cengage Learning, Inc
Imprint:   Wadsworth Publishing Co Inc
Edition:   5th edition
ISBN:  

9780357656983


ISBN 10:   0357656989
Publication Date:   13 March 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Part I: THEATRE LITERACY. 1. Theatre, Art, and Entertainment. 2. Stage versus Screen. 3. Theatre of the People. 4. Experiencing and Analyzing Plays. Part II: THE ARTS WITHIN THE ART. 5. The Ensemble. 6. The Art of Playwriting. 7. The Art of Acting. 8. The Art of Directing. 9. The Art of Design. 10. A Creative Life. 11. The Musical. Part III: A CONCISE HISTORY. 12. Theatre Around the World. 13. The Greeks to the Rise of Christianity. 14. The Dark Ages to the Dawn of the Renaissance. 15. The Renaissance. 16. The Restoration, the Enlightenment, and Romanticism. 17. Modern Theatre.

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Author Information

William Missouri Downs is a playwright and director. His plays have been produced by The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, The InterAct Theatre in Philadelphia, The San Diego Rep, The Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Salt Lake City Acting Company, the Actors Theatre of Charlotte, the International Theatre Festival in Israel, the Stadt Theater Walfischgasse in Austria, the Jewish Theatre of Toronto, The Bloomington Playwright's Project, the Detroit Rep, the New York City Fringe Festival, the Durban Performing Arts Center in South Africa, and 150 theatres worldwide. His numerous playwriting awards include two rolling premieres from the National New Play Network (""Women Playing Hamlet"" and ""The Exit Interview""), and twice he was a finalist at the Eugene O'Neill (""Mad Gravity"" and ""How to Steal a Picasso""). Samuel French, Playscripts, Next Stage Press, and Heuer have published his plays. In addition, Bill has authored several articles and three other books, including SCREENPLAY: WRITING THE PICTURE and NAKED PLAYWRITING, both published by Silman/James. In Hollywood he was a staff writer on the NBC sitcom ""My Two Dads"" (starring Paul Reiser). He also wrote episodes of ""Amen"" (starring Sherman Hemsley) and ""Fresh Prince of Bel Air"" (starring Will Smith) as well as sold/optioned screenplays to Imagine Pictures and Filmways. Trained under the Oscar Nominated Polish Director Jerzy Antczak, Bill has directed over 40 college and professional productions. He holds an MFA in acting from the University of Illinois and an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA. Lanford Wilson and Milan Stitt at the Circle Rep in New York City trained him in playwriting. Lou Anne Wright is an actor, dialect coach, professor, and writer; she holds an MFA in Voice, Speech, and Dialects from the National Theatre Conservatory and is a certified Fitzmaurice Voicework teacher. Lou Anne has served as voice/dialect coach for such companies as the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and her film roles include Judy Shepard in HBO's ""The Laramie Project"" and Nell in ""Hearsay"". As a playwright, she authored ""Kabuki Medea"", which won the Bay Area Critics Award for Best Production in San Francisco. It was also produced at the Kennedy Center. She is the coauthor of the book PLAYWRITING: FROM FORMULA TO FORM, and her screenwriting credits include the film adaptation of Eudora Welty's ""The Hitch-Hikers"", which featured Patty Duke and Richard Hatch (for which she was nominated for the Directors Guild of America's Lillian Gish Award). Lou Anne teaches acting, voice, speech, and dialects at the University of Wyoming, where she has won several teaching awards. Erik Ramsey is an Associate Professor of Playwriting in the MFA Playwriting Program at Ohio University. His plays have been developed at various theaters including Cleveland Public Theatre, American Stage, Victory Gardens, and Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, and been published by Samuel French and Dramatic Publishing. As a new play dramaturg, he has worked in diverse settings from Steppenwolf Theater to WordBridge Lab. Over the past decade he has been a guest artist and taught playwriting, new play development, and narrative theory in a variety of national and international venues, including the St. Petersburg Academy of Dramatic Arts “New American Plays” Conference and Lubimovka Playwrights Laboratory at Teatr.doc in Moscow. Erik’s newest play, a two-hander for actresses in their 40s, explores the intersection of rodeo clowning and time-travel.

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