Interest in oral traditions has benefitted the field of interpretation in two ways: a new emphasis on the social and cultural contexts of performance, and an expanded perspective on performance manifestations. In Richard Schechner's concept of "restored behavior," the interpreter engages in a reconstruction of living behavior independent…

By adopting some of the methods used by ethnographic researchers, performance artists/researchers can "step out of" their own culture, providing the necessary distance for the reporting of the event under investigation. Dwight Conquergood uses ethnographic research to be able to "step into" the culture under investigation and…

Although "theory" has been used increasingly in analysis of literary texts, performances, and historical events, theater history has been slow to appropriate this approach. New Historicism insists upon understanding literature as the product of a particular time and society in which it was written or produced. It gives attention to…

Educators today may find a historical review of the Howard Players at Howard University (Washington, D.C.) in the 1920s important because of its implicit commentary on what constitutes community. While the Howard Players are generally written about in terms of the development of an African-American theater, historians ought also to think of their…

Athol Fugard, a white South African playwright/actor/director of international renown, has worked toward the establishment of an integrated, multiracial theater not associated with the white South African establishment. In his plays, Fugard has made racism and the ravaging effects of racial tension come alive as he presents aspects of these…

Attempts to apply elements of Japanese theatre to western productions, though commendable, are frequently unsuccessful. Effective use of the Japanese theatre's acting or production techniques requires knowledge of the forces producing its specific styles and techniques. Noh and Kabuki drama harmonize music, dance, and drama to create an awareness…

A review of the history of criticism applied to the arts, literature, and drama is provided in this paper and related to the need for feminist criticism. The differences of critical opinion as to whether art should reproduce life or stand on its own are discussed. The paper notes that the role and nature of art and artists have been continuously…

Karaoke (singing along to music videos) has swept Taiwan with such force that many people go to singing schools to improve their singing. Three cases in this paper demonstrate how the ethos, or credibility, of the singer is a combination of initial and derived ethos. Who the singer is tends to determine how much attention he or she receives…

Addresses the problem of writing and producing plays that do not meet the needs of a multicultural audience with varied backgrounds and values. (JC)

The culture in a female-managed residential college that focused on communication studies was examined. The college, which was opended in 1981, is a unique living unit under the supervision of a head and associate master, in which 107 students live in a collection of suites representing the academic disciplines of journalism,…