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Recommendations of Bibliography on Theatre Arts

Oct 2, 2014

If you wish to recommend a book, an essay, a journal or an article for the theatre enthusiasts, students, educators and professionals, please proceed here: 
Building the OISTAT Bibliography on Theatre Arts
 



  Architectures du Spectacle au Québec
  Author: Jacques Plante and others
  Languages: French
  Why the book is recommended:
  “It presents 52 projects in Québec since 1985 along with 15 essays by specialist in various   domain of performance
  design.” —By Jacques Plante
  More book info and where to purchase:  http://amzn.com/255119864X 
  Tags: Architecture, Performance Design, Canadian Theatres




  The Empty Space: A Book About the Theatre: Deadly, Holy, Rough, Immediate
  Author: Peter Brook 
  Languages: English & Traditional Chinese
  Why the book is recommended:
   “Full of ideas about making theater but without prescriptions. As theater seems to become deadlier and deadlier
  with each passing year, this book remains an important touchstone for practitioners.” —By Joe Pino
  More book info and where to purchase:
  http://goo.gl/5Pl3Rf (English)
  http://goo.gl/FzE5gr (Traditional Chinese)
  Tags: Performance Design, Space Design

  The Dramatic Imagination: Re Reflections and Speculations on the Art of the Theatre, Reissue
  Author: Robert Edmond Jones
  Languages: English
  Why the book is recommended:
  “First published in 1941 republished by Routledge in 2004. This book by a historic inspirational    innovator, scenic,
   lighting and costume designer.” —By Michael Ramsaur 
  More book info and where to purchase: http://amzn.com/0878301844



  Adolphe Appia's Music and the Art of the Theatre
  Author: Adolphe Appia
  Languages: English & French
  Why the book is recommended:
  1. “A historic book addressing the art and aesthetics of stage Design. Appia's book "Musique et mise en scene "first     published in 1897.” —By Michael Ramsaur
  2. “Written in 1897, Appia proposes a relationship between the aural (music) and visual aspects of drama in which the
  latter takes its cues from the former. Groundbreaking yet undervalued and even unknown to contemporary
  designers.” —By Joe Pino
  More book info and where to purchase: https://archive.org/details/musicartoftheatr00appi 
  Tags: Stage Design, Drama, Opera, Music, Performance Design

  Creative Theatre
  Author: Roy Mitchell 
  Languages: English
  Why the book is recommended:
  “Interesting thoughts about what theatre is and/or what it can be from the context of a theatre practitioner in North    America in the 1920's.” —By Robert R. Scales
  More book info and where to purchase: http://amzn.com/B000L9EZBA
  Tags: Performance Design, North American Theatres, Criticism


  Theatricality as Medium
  Author: Samuel Weber 
  Languages: English 
  Why the book is recommended:
  “In today's mediatised age the notion of "theatricality" applies, as Weber elegantly points out in his multi-
  perspective conceptual constellation of a book, beyond the derivatives of "theatre" and of "scene". Rather than a
  mode of representation, theatricality seems to be a quality that cuts through the society in multiple levels. In his   
  "dynamic media theory" Weber de-constructs, but not only that – drawing all the way from antiquity he show that
  some of  the classics are in the age of electronic media more contemporary than ever.” —By Maiju Loukola
  More book info and where to purchase: http://amzn.com/0823224163
  Tags: Performance Design, Criticism

  Bühnentechnik der Gegenwart
  Author: Friedrich Kranich
  Languages: German 
  Why the book is recommended:
  “A historic set of two volumes published in 1929 and 1931 containing extensive information about theater machinery
  and techniques from German from that time.” —By Michael Ramsaur
  More book info and where to purchase: http://www.zvab.com/displayBookDetails.do?itemId=245181341&b=1
  Tags: Technology, Performance Design, Theatre Machinery
  Trattato di Scenotecnica
  Author: Bruno Mello
  Languages: Italian
  Why the book is recommended:
   “It's a book of 1970 but still useful on the techniques of the theater.” —Umberto Di Nino
  More book info and where to purchase: http://amzn.com/8841857269
  Tags: Technology, Performance Design 

  Silence: Lectures and Writings
  Author: John Cage
  Languages: English 
  Why the book is recommended:
  “This is one of the essential works on sound, music and space. The influence of the ideas contained in the book
  can be seen/heard even in the works of those who have never read it.” —By Joe Pino
  More book info and where to purchase: http://goo.gl/CF7kRa
  Tags: Sound, Music, Performance Design


  The Gardener of Theatre: Nieh, Kuan-Yen
  Author: Nieh, Kuan-Yen
  Languages: Traditional Chinese
  Why the book is recommended:
   “Published in 2007, an homage, biography, and designography of an important historical and contemporary stage   
  designer of Taiwan.” —By Michael Ramsaur
   More book info: http://www.books.com.tw/products/0010142250
  *Please note that the book is out-of-print.
  Tags: Stage Design, Biography 

  The Designs of Jules Fisher
  Author: Delbert Unruh
  Languages: English 
  Why the book is recommended:
  “Published in 2009, a profile of the work of an important and successful contemporary American Lighting
  Designer.” —By Michael Ramsaur
  More book info and where to purchase: http://amzn.com/1933348151
  Tags: Lighting, Biography, performance Design.

  The Magic of Light: The Craft and Career of Jean Rosenthal, Pioneer in Lighting for the Modern Stage
  Author: Jean Rosenthal, Lael Wertenbaker, and Marion Kinsella
  Languages: English
  Why the book is recommended:
  “Published in 1972, this is an inspiring account of stage lighting by an outstanding first generation U.S.A. lighting
  designer.” —By Michael Ramsaur
  More book info and where to purchase: http://amzn.com/0316931209
  Tags: Lighting, Performance Design, Biography
  Faszination Licht : Licht auf der Bühne
  Author: Max Keller
  Languages: German
  Why the book is recommended:
  “Outstanding images related to the technology and art of Lighting Design” —By Michael Ramsaur
  More book info and where to purchase: http://amzn.to/1qbE5zV
  Tags: Lighting, Performance Design, Technology

  A Method of Lighting the Stage
  Author: Stanley McCandless
  Languages: English 
  Why the book is recommended:
  “A historic book first published in 1932, last edition 1958 on a method of approaching lighting design.” —By Michael
  Ramsaur
  More book info and where to purchase: http://amzn.com/0878300821
  Tags: Lighting, Performance Design, Technology 


  Let There be Light: Entertainment Lighting Software Pioneers in Conversation
  Author: Robert Bell & Richard Pilbrow
  Languages: English
  Why the book is recommended:
  “Published in 2004 the book contains many contributed chapters by hardware and software pioneers in the Stage
  Lighting Discipline.” —By Michael Ramsaur
  More book info and where to purchase:
  http://goo.gl/op16v7 (Kindle Edition)
  http://goo.gl/4ZJ1gz (Paperback)
  Tags: Lighting, Performance Design

  Lighting in the Theatre 
  Author: Gosta M. Bergman
  Languages: English
  Why the book is recommended:
  “Published in 1977, an extensive history of stage lighting.” —By Michael Ramsaur
  More book info and where to purchase: http://amzn.com/0874716020
  Tags: Lighting, Performance Design

  Concert Lighting: Techniques, Art and Business
  Author: James Moody & Paul Dexter
  Languages: English
  Why the book is recommended:
  “Published in 2009, is a comprehensive primer on lighting design for rock concerts and corporate presentations.”
  —By Michael Ramsaur
  More book info and where to purchase: http://amzn.com/0240806891
  Tags: Lighting, Technology, Cross-media, Concert Design

At Full: Focus on Stage Lighting Technology and Applications, Revised Edition
Author: I-Hua Kao & Leo Chiu
Languages: Traditional Chinese
Why the book is recommended:
This book specializes in stage lighting technology, from lighting system to all the components such as lighting instruments, and from electricity to lighting protocols. It contains both theoretical and practical knowledge, along with images for full understanding.
More book info and where to purchase: https://www.tatt.org.tw/publication/1679
Tags: Lighting, Technology, Lighting System, Lighting Control, Electricity

Beyond Everydayness - Theatre Architecture in Central Europe
Chief editor: Igor Kovačević(CZ)
Languages: English
Why the book is recommended:
"it is the most complete systematical mapping of theatre architectural heritage in the Central European region and beautiful book. " — By Jan K Rolnik
More book info and where to purchase: http://www.theatre-architecture.eu/publication.html   
Tags: Education, Architecture, Research, Publication & Communication




  The Architecture of EMPAC: The Tangible and The Tantalizing: The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and   
  Performing Art Center

  Author: Mark Mistur
  Languages: English
  Why the book is recommended:
  "The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) is an extraordinary theatre facility
  like no other for artists and researchers of new forms of media. This book outlines the process of designing a
  performing arts center and classroom building to meet 21st century requirements. 
  Essays by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, acoustician R. Lawrence Kirkegaard, theater design consultant Joshua Dachs   
  and Grimshaw Architects' partner involved in the project from beginning to end William Horgan, each examine the
  question of performance- based design integration and tell the stories of innovations that resulted from their
  various important points of view. " — By Lawrence Curry 
  More book info and where to purchase: http://a.co/bGGzVaU
  Tags: Architecture, Technology, Design, Research


Innovations in Stage and Theatre Design
Editor: Francis Hodge, American Society for Theatre Research
Authors: Donald Oenslager, Frederick Hunter, George Izenour, Hugh Hunt, Gunter Schone, Edmund Stadler, Margaret Dietrich, Ferenc Hont, and Filip Kalan Kumbatovic
Languages: English
Why the book is recommended:
“This book is a collection of essays from some of the past greats of theatre and architecture design. Included are entries from George Izenour, Donald Oenslager, and Gunter Schone to name a few.” — By Richard Bryant
More book info and where to purchase: http://a.co/bB8TRRl
Tags: Research, Publication & Communication, Education