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Literature in the Public Service
by Ceri SullivanHistorians and sociologists have been consistently - albeit gloomily - enthralled by Max Weber's model of the inevitable rise of the neurocrat. However, literary critics positively boast that writers, like academics, cannot 'do admin'. While Weber's thesis about the rise of the entrepreneur all fire, individuality, thrust is in tune with what we think literature is about, his thesis about the rise of the bureaucrat is not. Yet 'creative bureaucracy' is not only a euphemism for bending the rules. Literature in the Public Service shows how the public service makes its workers original, taking them beyond an individuated point of view to imagine the perfect public system. Creativity theorists too have swapped the model of solitary inspiration for a managed creative environment. John Milton, Anthony Trollope, and David Hare are examples of how authors work in and write about the public service, during its crisis moments. "
Little Boy Blue
by Paul ReakesIt’s the day of the grand fête in Merrydale, and Willard “Wiggles” Wigglesworth has brought his hot air balloon along to give rides to the townsfolk. Johnnie Blue has fallen in love with Susie Sidebottom, the Mayor’s daughter, but when the pair offend the evil witch Halloweena she is determined to exact revenge. Soon Johnnie and Susie, together with Wiggles and Bessie, Johnnie’s larger-than-life mother, find themselves a very long way from home. Little Boy Blue is a riotous pantomime showcasing Paul Reakes’s trademark winning combination of laughter, thrills, magic, music and dance.
The Little Girl with the Curl: An adaptation of a famous poem
by Francisco Blane Gerald Kelley Jeffrey B. FuerstSally was a good little girl sometimes, and not-so-good at other times.
A Little More Sin
by Parish ShermanAfter Sin's Mad Circle hits up the 61st street boys he comes out of the hospital hungrier than ever. Sin starts making money hand over fist, but his personal life is suffering badly. There's someone talking to the law, but Sin has no idea who it is. When he's about to hit Bolo off with some work, everything becomes clear. Bo is the rat. Sin leaves town of Oakland on a "state funded" vacation only to find out the boy Max who heads the 61st street mob and Bo are partners. Not only that, there's someone close to him running their mouth now. Will Sin be able to come back from this, or is the Mad Circle about to crumble? One things or sure, He's coming at someone's neck. Sit back Parish Sherman takes you on a non-stop ride through the gritty Oakland, California streets where everything ain't what is seems, and loyalty is tested it seems on the regular. One thing is for certain, life and death, is the same as loyalty and betrayal, and everybody that's on the opposing side better protect their chests, because The Mad Circles coming.
A Little Murder Never Hurt Anybody
by Ron BernasComedy/Murder Mystery / 4m, 2f / Unit Set It's New Year's Eve at the Perry mansion, and Julia and Matthew Perry seem to have it all. But Matthew wants something more -- to be rid of his wife Julia so he can have some real fun! He resolves to murder Julia by the new year's end, and tells her so. She vows to stay alive, and tells him so. And so the game begins -- a hilarious year-long match of wits and the witless. While Julia cleverly dodges Matthew's devious murder attempts, the Perry friends and staff are dying off mysteriously. It seems Matthew is successful in murdering everyone but Julia. As the bodies are falling, dim-witted daughter Bunny contemplates calling off her wedding to unwitting Donald since all the intended gift-bearing guests are dying. Enter Detective Plotnik -- a Sam Spade reincarnation who suspects everyone, but hasn't a clue. That is, not until Donald stumbles upon Julia and gentlemanly butler Buttram in what Donald mistakenly perceives as a compromising situation. Donald jumps to the conclusion that Julia is the murderer -- trying to murder Matthew! A Little Murder Never Hurt Anybody is an homage to the screwball comedies of the 30's and 40's. "A delightful surprise . . . an evening of fun just on the proper side of slapstick." - Lansing State Journal "Comedy packs laughs . . . a delightful play . . . a medley of laughs . . . the play has charm, and is really funny." - News-Herald, Southgate, MI Community Theatre Association of Michigan New Plays Competition Winner
Little One and Other Plays
by Hannah MoscovitchA chilling psychological thriller, Little One is the haunting story of adopted siblings Aaron and Claire—one the definition of normal, the other deeply disturbed and unpredictable—and the strange lives of their neighbours, a man and his mail-order bride. In Other People’s Children, wealthy young power couple Ben and Ilana hire Sati, a live-in nanny, to care for their baby daughter, but Sati ends up being more than a caretaker, exposing the fragility of Ben and Ilana's marriage. Is she filling the holes of their relationship, or widening cracks that will shatter their family? High school is hard, especially for Neyssa, who is not from a privileged family like her best friend Bijou. When the two get into a physical fight at school, they must confront what’s really bothering Neyssa. In This World looks at what friendship means to two teenage girls from vastly different social backgrounds, while dealing with racism, class, and reputation.
A Little Something for the Ducks
by Jean Lenox ToddieDramatic Comedy / 1m, 1f / Winner of the John Gassner Playwriting Contest and the Princeton Players One Act Playwrighting Contest. This is a story of a zestful, youthful courtship. She is 68 and he is 79. They put their moves on each other in a minuet that is a joy to behold. Published with A Scent of Honeysuckle
Little Songs of the Geisha
by Liza DalbyA fascinating look into the world of the Geisha through the 400-year-old art of Ko-Uta, the traditional song form sung to three-stringed shamisen music. A vivid evocation of the romanticism of feudal Japan.
The Little Theatre Production of "Hamlet"
by Jean BattloComedy / 2m, 6f / Interior / A sophisticated New York director with a successful Off Broadway season under her belt reluctantly travels to West Virginia to direct Hamlet under the auspices of a grant for "under served regions." Only six people show up to audition: 23 year old Mona who has always dreamed of playing Ophelia, a coal truck driver whose single desire is Mona, two waitresses in their forties who have never been stage struck, 74 year old Hattie Johnson who has spearheaded the effort to see Mona get a crack at her dream, and the bank vice president who has been ordered to appear. Gathering in Hattie's Restaurant, this group perpetrates the most harrowing production of Shakespeare ever mounted. Some amazing costumes and merry mishaps ladle hilarity on top of sincere attempts to tailor Hamlet to this remarkable cast. The play is the thing, and though limp in quality, the production marches forward in tune to very real and deep human spirits bent on accomplishment. The result, a fractured, quixotic play, provides a fine example of realizing the impossible dream.
Little Women (De Forest)
by Louisa M. Alcott Marion De ForestComedy / 5m, 7f / Interior, exterior / This play tells a sentiment awakening tale in a simple and yet effective manner. It imparts entertainment without offending our sense of propriety and good taste, and gives us amusement of a beautiful kind, delivering its message of hope and cheer in a way that cannot but impart beneficial thoughts and send us from the theater with a higher opinion of humankind than we had when we entered.
Little Women (Ravold)
by John Ravold Louisa M. AlcottDrama / 4m, 6f / Interior / A dramatization in one set of Louisa M. Alcott's novel, Little Women. It is a story that never will grow old because it deals with a mother's love for her children and their appreciation. Who can forget tom boy Jo and her sacrificing her glorious hair to help finance her mother's trip to Washington, when the telegram arrived saying her father was dying? Of her writing "The Christmas Play," rehearsing Amy in the fainting scene and then the playing of the drama on the fateful night when everything went wrong. Her beautiful scenes with Little Beth when they both knew the Angel of Death was hovering near? Of her going to New York, meeting Professor Bhaer in Mrs. Kirk's rooming house, their comedy courtship and ultimate marriage?
The Little Years
by John MightonKate possesses the makings of a gifted mathematician with an enthusiasm for exploring the mysteries of space and time. But this is the 1950s and women are routinely laughed out of scientific circles. Besides, every family has its star, and Kate's brother already holds that distinction. Hindered by prejudices against women, Kate is confined to a life of unfulfilling jobs, leading her to become bitter and unhappy. The Little Years confronts the impact of chauvinism and explores the nature of fame, the value of art, and the passing of time.
Live Art in LA: Performance in Southern California, 1970 - 1983
by Peggy PhelanLive Art in LA: Performance Art in Southern California , 1970-1983 documents and critically examines one of the most fecund periods in the history of live art. The book forms part of the Getty Institute’s Pacific Standard Time initiative – a series of exhibitions, performance re-enactments and research projects focused on the greater Los Angeles area. This extraordinary volume, beautifully edited by one of the leading scholars in the field, makes vivid the compelling drama of performance history on the west coast. Live Art in LA: moves lucidly between discussions of legendary figures such as Judy Chicago and Chris Burden, and the crucial work of less-celebrated solo artists and collectives; examines the influence of key institutions, particularly Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions and the California Institute of the Arts – and the Feminist Art Programme established at the latter; features original and incisive essays by Peggy Phelan and Amelia Jones, and eloquent contributions by Michael Ned Holte, Suzanne Lacy and Jennifer Flores Sternad. Combining cutting-edge research with over 100 challenging and provocative photographs and video stills, Live Art in LA represents a major re-evaluation of a crucial moment in performance history. And, as performance studies becomes ever more relevant to the history of art, promises to become a vital and enduring resource for students, academics and artists alike.
Live Digital Theatre: Interdisciplinary Performative Pedagogies (Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies)
by Aleksandar Sasha DundjerovićLive Digital Theatre explores the experiences of Interdisciplinary Performing Arts practitioners working on digital performance and in particular live digital theatre. Collaborating with world-leading practitioners – Kolectiv Theatre (UK), Teatro Os Satyros (Brazil), and The Red Curtain International (India)- this study investigates the ways to bring live digital performance into theatre training and performance making. The idea of Interdisciplinary Performative Pedagogies is placed within the context of the exploration of live digital theatre and is used to understand creative practices and how one can learn from these practices. The book presents a pedagogical approach to contemporary practices in digital performance; from interdisciplinary live performance using digital technology, to live Zoom theatre, YouTube, mixed media recorded and live performance. The book also combines a series of case studies and pedagogical practices on live digital performance and intermedial theatre. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars in performing arts, digital arts, media, and gaming.
Live Literature: The Experience and Cultural Value of Literary Performance Events from Salons to Festivals (Palgrave Studies in Literary Anthropology)
by Ellen WilesThis ground-breaking book explores the phenomenal growth of live literature in the digitalizing 21st century. Wiles asks why literary events appeal and matter to people, and how they can transform the ways in which fiction is received and valued. Readers are immersed in the experience of two contrasting events: a major literary festival and an intimate LGBTQ+ salon. Evocative scenes and observations are interwoven with sharp critical analysis and entertaining conversations with well-known author-performers, reader-audiences, producers, critics, and booksellers. Wiles’s experiential literary ethnography represents an innovative and vital contribution, not just to literary research, but to research into the value of cultural experience across art forms. This book probes intersections between readers and audiences, writers and performers, texts and events, bodies and memories, and curation and reception. It addresses key literary debates from cultural appropriation to diversity in publishing, the effects of social media, and the quest for authenticity. It will engage a broad audience, from academics and producers to writers and audiences.
Live Visuals: History, Theory, Practice (Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies)
by Steve Gibson Stefan Arisona Donna Leishman Atau TanakaThis volume surveys the key histories, theories and practice of artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, architects and technologists that have worked and continue to work with visual material in real time. Covering a wide historical period from Pythagoras’s mathematics of music and colour in ancient Greece, to Castel’s ocular harpsichord in the 18th century, to the visual music of the mid-20th century, to the liquid light shows of the 1960s and finally to the virtual reality and projection mapping of the present moment, Live Visuals is both an overarching history of real-time visuals and audio-visual art and a crucial source for understanding the various theories about audio-visual synchronization. With the inclusion of an overview of various forms of contemporary practice in Live Visuals culture – from VJing to immersive environments, architecture to design – Live Visuals also presents the key ideas of practitioners who work with the visual in a live context. This book will appeal to a wide range of scholars, students, artists, designers and enthusiasts. It will particularly interest VJs, DJs, electronic musicians, filmmakers, interaction designers and technologists.
The Lively Arts of the London Stage, 1675–1725 (Performance in the Long Eighteenth Century: Studies in Theatre, Music, Dance)
by Kathryn LowerreUnlike collections of essays which focus on a single century or whose authors are drawn from a single discipline, this collection reflects the myriad performance options available to London audiences, offering readers a composite portrait of the music, drama, and dance productions that characterized this rich period. Just as the performing arts were deeply interrelated, the essays presented here, by scholars from a range of fields, engage in dialogue with others in the volume. The opening section examines a famous series of 1701 performances based on the competition between composers to set William Congreve's masque The Judgment of Paris to music. The essays in the central section (the 'mainpiece') showcase performers and productions on the London stage from a variety of perspectives, including English 'tastes' in art and music, the use of dance, the depiction of madness and masculinity in both spoken and musical performances, and genres and modes in the context of contemporary criticism and theatrical practice. A brief afterpiece looks at comic pieces in relation to satire, parody and homage. By bringing together work by scholars of music, dance, and drama, this cross-disciplinary collection illuminates the interconnecting strands that shaped a vibrant theatrical world.
Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture
by Philip AuslanderLiveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture addresses what may be the single most important question facing all kinds of performance today. What is the status of live performance in a culture dominated by mass media? Since its first appearance, Philip Auslander's ground-breaking book has helped to reconfigure a new area of study. Looking at specific instances of live performance such as theatre, rock music, sport, and courtroom testimony, Liveness offers penetrating insights into media culture, suggesting that media technology has encroached on live events to the point where many are hardly live at all. In this new edition, the author thoroughly updates his provocative argument to take into account new digital and media technologies, and cultural, social and legal developments. In tackling some of the last great shibboleths surrounding the high cultural status of the live event, this book will continue to shape discussion and to provoke lively debate on a crucial artistic dilemma: what is live performance and what can it mean to us now?
Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture
by Philip AuslanderLiveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture addresses what may be the single most important question facing all kinds of performance today. What is the status of live performance in a culture dominated by mass media and digital technologies? Since its first appearance, Philip Auslander’s groundbreaking book has helped to reconfigure a new area of study. Looking at specific instances of live performance such as theatre, music, sport, and courtroom testimony, Liveness offers penetrating insights into media culture, suggesting that media technology has encroached on live events to the point where many are hardly live at all. In this new edition, the author thoroughly updates his provocative argument to take into account the impact of the internet, and cultural, social, and legal developments. He also addresses the situation of live performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. In tackling some of the last great shibboleths surrounding the high cultural status of the live event, this classic book will continue to shape opinion and to provoke lively debate on a crucial artistic dilemma: what is live performance and what can it mean to us now? This extensively revised, new edition of Liveness is an essential read for all students and scholars of performance-based courses.
The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins
by Dean JensenTHE LIVES AND LOVES OF DAISY AND VIOLET HILTON follows the poignant life story of twin sisters who were literally joined at the hip, set against the tumultuous backdrop of America during the first half of the 20th century. Daisy and Violet and an unforgettable cast of show-business characters come alive on the pages of this carefully researched and sensitively written biography.Reviews"Jensen'¬?s book is a testament to the fickleness of the entertainment world."-Tampa Bay Tribune"It is an affecting story, gently and honestly told without frills, without sensation. In Jensen'¬?s hands, the twins are always human, individuals, never freaks joined at the hips as the world saw them after their birth in 1908. . . Here, their story is pure."-Milwaukee Journal SentinelFrom the Trade Paperback edition.
Lives in Motion: Celebrating Dance in Thailand (Celebrating Dance in Asia and the Pacific)
by Pornrat Damrhung Lowell SkarLives in Motion celebrates dance in Thailand, focusing on the diversity of Thailand’s dance cultures and their place in today’s world. Giving voice to eminent artists and scholars on the complex roles that Thailand is pursuing for artful movement at home and abroad, the book provides key perspectives on Thai dance traditions and practitioners. It explores the many forms and meanings in contemporary dance, changing local traditions in the country, the evolution of Thai dance on the global stage, and hybrid features of the Thai dance world. The book examines how hybridity has been integral to dance cultures in Thailand and discusses how they have actively adapted and negotiated their knowledge in relation to modernity and globalization. Developing new models, standards and sites for dance, movement and theater, dance in Thai has been advancing in innovative ways, whether it is to include fresh forms of skilled bodily movement or to expand in new arenas like tourism and online platforms. Similarly, old systems of training, which included artists’ homes, palaces, and temples, have been adapted into the new world of modern education, media, home schooling, and new community rituals. A pioneering contribution on Thai performing arts, this volume examines contemporary Thai dance cultures in the local, national, regional, and global contexts. It will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of dance and performance studies, cultural studies, Southeast Asia studies, and art.
Lives in Play: Autobiography and Biography on the Feminist Stage
by Ryan ClaycombLives in Play explores the centrality of life narratives to women's drama and performance from the 1970s to the present moment. In the early days of second-wave feminism, the slogan was "The personal is the political. " These autobiographical and biographical "true stories" have the political impact of the real and have also helped a range of feminists tease out the more complicated aspects of gender, sex, and sexuality in a Western culture that now imagines itself as "postfeminist. " The book's scope is broad, from performance artists like Karen Finley, Holly Hughes, and Bobby Baker to playwrights like Suzan-Lori Parks, Maria Irene Fornes, and Sarah Kane. The book links the narrative tactics and theatrical approaches of biography and autobiography and shows how theater artists use life writing strategies to advance women's rights and remake women's representations. Lives in Play will appeal to scholars in performance studies, women's studies, and literature, including those in the growing field of auto/biography studies. " A fresh perspective and wide-ranging analysis of changes in feminist theater for the past thirty years . . . a most welcome addition to the literature on theater, in particular scholarship on feminist practices. " --Choice "Helps sustain an important history by reviving works of feminist theater and performance and giving them a new and refreshing context and theorical underpinning . . . considering 1970s performance art alongside more conventional play production. " --Lesley Ferris, The Ohio State University
The Living
by Anthony Clarvoe“Beautifully written… There is light of understanding cast on the human condition in this play. That light concerns the simple heroism of people who do not abandon their fellows in the dark hours.”Marilynne S. Mason, Christian Science Monitor “Set in London as the Black Plague sweeps the city claiming more than 100,000 lives, THE LIVING is not about death. Rather this remarkable, riveting drama is a compelling confirmation of life.” Sandra Dillard-Rosen, The Denver Post “Fascinating… THE LIVING is a play both clever and thoughtful…. With a fine wit and a keen irony.”Richard Christiansen, Chicago Tribune “Haunting revives the plague time with often chilling vividness… The drama would be interesting even if there were no modern parallel. The play remains intellectually engrossing and, ultimately, gut-wrenchingly affecting.”Aileen Jacobson, Newsday “This intelligent and cumulatively affecting drama…discovers the hope and humanity shining inside the black shroud.”Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle “Aided by Clarvoe’s enticing dialogue and grim humor…we see that beneath all the turmoil and death, there exists a simple humanity that saves souls and restores faith.”Mary Houlihan-Skilton, Chicago Sun-Times “A rich, dynamic play…laced with oddly beautiful metaphors for tragedy…. Do heed this reminder to keep breathing during the full force of the action.”Patricia Corrigan, St Louis Post-Dispatch “As much a drama of ideas as it is a drama of passion and compassion, it unfolds in a series of Shakespeare-like scenes that follow a handful of characters through the darkest months of the plague.… Clarvoe writes with wit and intelligence.“Marion Garmel, Indianapolis Star “As a tale of human heroism and cowardice, pitilessness and compassion, medical sleuthing and political expediency, it cannot be beat…. Clarvoe’s most potent idea has been to prohibit the characters from touching one another. Not even a piece of paper is handed directly from one person to another; everything is arranged to prevent human contact. So the ending is really miraculous.” Judith Green, San Jose Mercury News
The Living Art of Greek Tragedy
by Marianne McdonaldMarianne McDonald brings together her training as a scholar of classical Greek with her vast experience in theatre and drama to help students of the classics and of theatre learn about the living performance tradition of Greek tragedy. The Living Art of Greek Tragedy is indispensable for anyone interested in performing Greek drama, and McDonald's engaging descriptions offer the necessary background to all those who desire to know more about the ancient world. With a chapter on each of the three major Greek tragedians (Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides), McDonald provides a balance of textual analysis, practical knowledge of the theatre, and an experienced look at the difficulties and accomplishments of theatrical performances. She shows how ancient Greek tragedy, long a part of the standard repertoire of theatre companies throughout the world, remains fresh and alive for contemporary audiences.
Living Curiosities or What You Will
by Mary VingoeAnna soon realizes that she is out of her element in the city, and longs to return home. Determined to make the best of her situation, Anna goes against the wishes of Barnum and befriends the other "living curiosities," developing a strong friendship with Alphonsia di Lugar. Together, they attempt to create a stronger sense of community by staging an unusual version of Twelfth Night with the rest of inhabitants of the museum. Old alliances and bitter feelings threaten to tear the company apart, yet they must all work together to escape the past and find their own identities.