A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology: The Secret Art of the Performer

By Eugenio Barba and Nicola Savarese

Book Overview

First Published in 2005. A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology subtly juxtaposes visual demonstrations of the performer's craft, from a wealth of Eastern and Western sources. More than just a dictionary, 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. The Dictionary aims to expand our knowledge of the possibilities of the scenic body, and of the spectator's response to the dynamics of performance. The Dictionary has practical sections on balance, opposition and montage among other techniques, and discusses issues including The Text and the Stage, The Dilated Body and Energetic Language. This revised edition includes: three new chapters on Eurasian Theatre, Exercises and Organicity; 50 new photographs showing the performer's craft in black and white and colour; and, for the first time, a useful bibliography and index.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415378613
• ISBN13: 9780415378611
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.4" x 11.6"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic reading for performing artists

This is a great book for actors, dancers, choreographers, directors, teachers and all kinds of performing artists. Its texts reveal a way of perceiving the art of performers in scenic situations considering the physical qualities and possibilities of their bodies, but also of not so obviously visible paradigms such as energy, presence, balance, dilation and so on. Its photographs and illustrations are clearly demonstrative of the topics approached. After studying this book, I can watch performers in action (and in still pictures as well) with a totally new point of view, being able to analyse the subtleties that make their presence/images effective in their communication, artistry and vitality. I am also able to activate the theatre anthropology concepts in my own practice, reaching for new boundaries of self-perception and expressivity.

Easy to understand

The book of Barba is an essential help for acting students, because it explains in easy ways difficult topics.