Theatre, Society and the Nation: Staging American Identities (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama)
by S. E. Wilmer
List Price:
Our Price: $45.59
You Save: $7.41 (14%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: S. E. WilmerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-02-04
ISBN: 052105088X
Number of pages: 292
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Book Reviews of Theatre, Society and the Nation: Staging American Identities (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama)
Book Review: A history of the politics of American culture
Summary: 5 Stars
S.E.Wilmer?s recently published book "Theatre, Society and the Nation: Staging American Identities", is a very enlightening ? and enlightened ? overview of the evolution of American theatre and drama, as it relates to key moments in American history. The author, professor of Drama at Trinity College Dublin, focuses on the ways in which theatre has served as ?a political and ideological tool to help reconfigure the nation?, either by representing or by challenging notions of national identity. In this excellent book Wilmer analyzes in depth a number of dramas and live performances representative of specific political and social movements in the United States of America, starting from the period preceding the War of Independence and going all the way to the 1990s. Theatre is explored as a political tool, whether in the hands of the dominant groups, or in those of marginalized minorities. But the most amazing thing about Wilmer?s endeavor is that, through the lens of theatre, it gives the reader an extremely clear portrait of ?american identity? ? how it has evolved to its present state, and what it consists of.
As I come from a different culture, this book helped me realize that American identity, as a synthesis of so many heterogenous components coming from various cultures and expressing conflicting political necessities, is much more than what president Bush refers to ? and definitely much deeper and wider than what he represents.
Perhaps the most amazing theatrical event described in this book is the Paterson Strike Pageant presented in 1913 in New York: a huge militant theatrical achievement organized by the IWW (Workers? syndicate) and acted by the strikers themselves, who reproduced the actual events that had taken place during their strike at Paterson. Wilmer shows how this pageant, that had been suggested to the worker leaders by a radical rich woman, resulted in a much acclaimed artistic event, which was praised for its aesthetic quality even by conservative newspapers, but did little actual good to the workers themselves, who were eventually forced to go back to work, without having gained anything worthwhile.
This significant book by S.E.Wilmer goes far beyond exploring the history of theatre in America. It actually gives us a history of the politics of American culture itself.
Arts & Photography Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Preparing for Grad School
A Sacred Union of Citizens: George Washington's Farewell Address and the American Characterby Matthew Spalding
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.; Published: 1998-02-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.94
Price in other shops:
A Revolutionary People At War: The Continental Army and American Character, 1775-1783by Charles Royster
The University of North Carolina Press; Published: 1996-09-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.40
Price in other shops:
Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Differentby Gordon S. Wood
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2007-05-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.84
Price in other shops:
His Excellency: George Washingtonby Joseph J. Ellis
Vintage; Published: 2005-11-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.30
Price in other shops:
John Adamsby David McCullough
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2002-09-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.75
Price in other shops:
My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adamsby Abigail Adams, John Adams
Belknap Press; Published: 2007-10-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.00
Price in other shops:
Theatre in the United States, Vol. 1: 1750-1915, Theatre in the Colonies and the United StatesCambridge University Press; Published: 1996-02-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $129.57
Price in other shops:
Drama, Theatre, and Identity in the American New Republic (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama)by Jeffrey H. Richards
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2005-11-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $83.22
Price in other shops:
Theatre, Society and the Nation: Staging American Identities (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama)by S. E. Wilmer
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2008-02-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $45.56
Price in other shops:
Melodramatic Formations: American Theatre and Society, 1820-1870 (Studies in Theatre History & Culture)University Of Iowa Press; Published: 1992-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.99
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Theatre History Explainedby Neil Fraser
Crowood Press; Published: 2004-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.76
Price in other shops:
Theatre/ Theory/ Theatre: The Major Critical Texts from Aristotle and Zeami to Soyinka and HavelApplause Books; Published: 2003-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.91
Price in other shops:
A History of the American Theatre from Its Origins to 1832by William Dunlap
University of Illinois Press; Published: 2005-10-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $29.84
Price in other shops:
Drama, Theatre, and Identity in the American New Republic (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama)by Jeffrey H. Richards
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2005-11-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $78.19
Price in other shops: