This essay draws on the contemporary aesthetic theories of four writers -Hans-Georg Gadamer, Paul Ricoeur, Paul Thom, and James O. Young-who represent both the continental and analytic contemporary philosophical schools of thought. Each writer offers valuable perspectives on issues in aesthetic education pertaining to a key question in my…

Just as all perceptions are of figures differentiated from a larger background, a play takes place against the background of the audience's knowledge and feelings. While audience members generally bring to a performance a large body of background information--they evaluate the storyline, for example, using a lifetime of personal experience--at…

In theatrical production, skillful design is effective communication. A study of audience response to nine drama settings gives positive evidence that the successful designer creates "signposts and symbols" that communicate instantaneously to the observer. The setting is a message. All of the scenic elements must be unified in a clear and concise…