Theatre Audiences: A Theory of Production and Reception

by SusanBennett (Author)

• New

  Paperback
  1997

  $38.70

  Susan Bennett's highly successful Theatre Audiences is a unique full-length study of the audience as cultural phenomenon, which looks at both theories of spectatorship and the practice of different theatres and their audiences. Published here in a brand new updated edition, Theatre Audiences now includes: 'nBL a new preface by the author * a stunning extra chapter on intercultural theatre * a revised up-to-date bibliography Theatre Audiences is a must-buy for teachers and students interested in spectatorship and theatre audiences, and will be valuable reading for practitioners and others involved in the theatre.

• Used

  Paperback
  1990

  $3.24

  Focusing on the non-traditional theatres of the last 30 years, theatres which demand an active and creative role of their audiences, the text offers insights into spectatorship which also apply to audiences of traditional theatres who often contribute subtly to theatrical events. This is a study of the audience looking at both theories of audience reaction, and the kinds of spectators that different theatre practice attract and to some extent create. Bennett examines specific theatres - their advertising, architecture, staging - and analyzes the symbiotic relationship they have with their audiences. The author's focus on the sociology of performance challenges conventional ways of teaching drama which rely on dramatic texts.