Introduction to Theatre

In the following chapters of this book, you will study and develop your own aesthetic experiences with the specific art form of theatre. To that end, we will be introducing you to a diverse set of examples of theatre—ones that differ in the nature of their performances and also in the way theatre artists created them.
 

This book is designed to meet you where you are, whether you are someone who has had extensive theatre experience as an audience member or a participant, or if you have never seen a play before. Because we don’t assume any prior experience or want to discount it, we have made every effort to keep this book as jargon-free as possible without watering down any concepts. We also have made every effort to activate and validate your critical thinking as a capable investigator of this art form.
 

This textbook and the course of study it accompanies do not endorse any type of theatre as superior over any others. Admittedly, our case study examples are subjective; we chose them because of our prior familiarity with them, but every attempt has been made to present the diversity of theatre without ranking or value judgment. We start with examples of narrative theatre with strong conflicts and move to examples unified by theme or other more abstract forms as you gain proficiency in the objectives of the course—not because narrative theatre is “easier” than other forms, but because most people will find the storytelling accessible and therefore can more readily move beyond comprehension of content into analysis of form. Complexity should not be conflated with difficulty. Instead of thinking of the case studies in this book as analogous to “reading levels,” we prefer to frame them as a “buffet” of sorts. We want you to experience different tastes and to broaden your palate—to experience new things and then to decide for yourself what types of theatre you prefer.
 

This is more of a workbook than a conventional reference textbook. We have included case studies, interviews, and skill building pages alongside worksheets and extra white space for you to populate with your own notes and reflections. Engage with this book as you complete your assigned reading for class, answering the questions posed to you as you go along. If there is an unfamiliar word to you, look it up and jot down the definition in the margin. If you are having trouble understanding a concept, “google” it and see if it helps you with your understanding, and keep a record of what you have learned. Move at your own pace and use the text in tandem with multimedia examples and any other supplemental reading and viewing assignments. Please make sure to bring your book with you to every class, as you will be able to take notes right in the book itself for class lectures and activities.