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In this book, Eugene J. Johnson traces the invention of the opera house, a building type of world wide importance. Italy laid the foundation theater buildings in the West, in architectural spaces invented for the commedia dell'arte in the sixteenth century, and theaters built to present the new art form of opera in the seventeenth. Rulers lavished enormous funds on these structures. Often they were among the most expensive artistic undertakings of a given prince. They were part of an upsurge of theatrical invention in the performing arts. At the same time, the productions that took place within the opera house could threaten the social order, to the point where rulers would raze them. Johnson reconstructs the history of the opera house by bringing together evidence from a variety of disciplines, including music, art, theatre, and politics. Writing in an engaging manner, he sets the history of the opera house within its broader early modern social context.
This book documents--and celebrates--Britain's contemporary theater architecture. It is about the conception, design, and delivery of spaces for drama between 2008 and 2018, a period of economic recession and financial austerity that has nonetheless seen a significant number of well-received theater-building projects. Intended not only for theater enthusiasts but also for individuals and organizations that may be contemplating a capital project of their own, Play On provides detailed "contemporary histories" of ten recent projects. It includes new theaters, like Liverpool's prize-winning Everyman Theatre and Cast in Doncaster, as well as major refurbishment and restoration projects such as the National Theatre in London and the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow. Architects whose work is discussed include Haworth Tompkins, Aedas Arts Team, Bennetts Associates, Richard Murphy Architects, and Page\Park. An extended introductory section sets the case studies in their historical and contemporary contexts and draws out key themes, including sustainability, accessibility, and the need for theaters to be efficient yet welcoming public spaces.
This text is a comprehensive reference to all aspects of theatre planning and construction and a history of theatre design from ancient times to the present. Drawing on examples from Greek and Roman models to Renaissance and baroque theatres to contemporary buildings around the world, it discusses such requirements as structural systems, seating, acoustics and visual volume in detail, considering the optimum conditions for both musical and dramatic performance. This edition includes, as an appendix, a new set of drawings, in addition to the original 900 illustrations.
Explores the cultural, social, and poltical aspects of theatrical architecture, from the threatres of ancient Greece of the present.
Understanding the theatre space on both the practical and theoretical level is becoming increasingly important to people working in drama, in whatever capacity. Theatre architecture is one of the most vital ingredients of the theatrical experience and one of the least discussed or understood. In Architecture, Actor and Audience Mackintosh explores the contribution the design of a theatre can make to the theatrical experience, and examines the failings of many modern theatres which despite vigorous defence from the architectural establishment remain unpopular with both audiences and theatre people. A fascinating and provocative book.
Theatre and architecture are seeming opposites: one a time-based art-form experienced in space, the other a spatial art experienced over time. The book unpicks these assumptions, demonstrating ways in which theatre and architecture are essential to each other and contextualizing their dynamic relationship historically and culturally.