Studying Plays [Hardcover]

Now in its 4th edition, this is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the critical study of drama. Using familiar examples of classic and contemporary works such as Shakespeare'sKing Lear, Ibsen'sA Doll's Houseand Timberlake Wertenbaker'sOur Country's Good, the book explores the essential elements of play texts, from character, dialogue and plot to theatrical space.

With more in depth guidance on how to study plays in and as performance, both live and in recordings available online, the 4th edition ofStudying Playsnow includes:

? new examples throughout the book drawn from a range of 21st-century plays by established and emergent writers for diverse theatres and companies
? new explorations of how plays structure and engage audience response
? a complete new section on the analysis of theatre of witness and testimony; monodrama; and postdramatic texts.

Mick Wallisis Professor Emeritus of Performance and Culture at the University of Leeds, UK. He is co-author (with Simon Shepherd) ofDrama/Theatre/Performance(2004).

Simon Shepherdis Professor Emeritus of Theatre at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, UK. He is the author ofThe Cambridge Introduction to Performance Theory(2016) andModern British Theatre(2010) and co-author with Mick Wallis ofDrama/Theatre/Performance(2004).

A highly usable resource for text analysis and addressing plays. However, it is so much more than this and I suggest that it be considered as a seminal textbook ... As well as the detailed attention to play extracts and the highly useable frameworks within which to address the scripted play, this seminal text skilfully locates the understanding of the dramatic script within socio-political historical contexts ... A trusted text given a welcome spruce up. Drama Magazine

This newly revised classic, now with a much-needed section on thelcN