German Expressionist Theatre: The Actor and the Stage

by David F. Kuhns

Overview

German Expressionist Theatre considers the powerfully stylized, antirealistic styles of symbolic acting on the German Expressionist stage from 1916 to 1921. It relates this striking departure from the dominant European acting tradition of realism to the specific cultural crises that enveloped the German nation during the course of its involvement in World War I. The examination of portions of previously untranslated Expressionist scripts and actor memoirs allows for an unprecedented focus on description and analysis of the acting itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521035224
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/14/2006
Pages:	324
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.75(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Abstraction and empathy: the philosophical background in the socio-economic foreground; 2. The poetics of Expressionist performance: contemporary models and sources; 3. Schrei ecstatic performance; 4. An 'Expressionist solution to the problem of theatre': Geist abstraction in performance; 5. Late Expressionist performance in Berlin: the Emblematic mode; Concluding observations; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...fresh insights into German expressionism and its significance.... His research is thorough.... ...Kuhns provides informative descriptions of the settings, lighting, theater architecture, and costumes. Most useful to graduate students, researchers, and professionals." Choice

"I can recommend this volume for the library of anyone interested in German Expressionism and theater history generally." Monatshefte

"...prsents theroetical concepts clearly and back them up with detailed examples. It is based on a firm foundation of research, using such primary sources as reviews, memoirs,manifestoes and scripts, analyzed in light of pertinent theorical material." Pamela S. Saur, Germanic Notes and Reviews

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