Block, Haskell, M. and Shedd, Robert G. editors,
Masters of Modern
Drama,
New York: Random House, 1969. A very complete selection of important plays from each major era with introductory notes.
Brockett, Oscar G.,
The Essential Theatre Fourth Edition
, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1988. A good comprehensive textbook with a lot of good pictures and graphics. The book is divided into three sections: foundations, varieties of theatrical experience, and theatrical production.
Clark, Barrett H.
European Theories of the Drama, with a supplement
on the American Drama,
New York: Crown Publishers, Inc. 1965. Another interesting source for reading about particular time periods. It is out of print unfortunately.
Johnson, Liz and O’Neill, Cecily (Ed.),
Dorothy Heathcote,
Collected Writings on Education and Drama,
London: Century Hutchinson, Ltd., 1984.
Kirby, E.T. editor,
Total Theatre,
New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1969. A collection of criticism by important living writers who have published their ideas about the theater elsewhere.
Novak, Elaine Adams,
Styles of Acting, A Scenebook for Aspiring
Actors
, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1985. This book supplies many practical ideas about how to talk to students about acting. It is divided up by time periods and the writing is easy to understand.
Sheehy, Helen,
All About Theatre
Second Edition, Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts: Independent School Press, 1981. Another book which you might consider as a possible textbook for your students.
Siepmann, Katherine Baker, Ed.
Benet’s Third Edition Reader’s
Encyclopedia
. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1987. I found myself consulting this reference book more than any other. It is chock full of useful information.
Wright, William Aldis, editor.
The Complete Works of William
Shakespeare, the Cambridge Edition Text
. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1936. This edition includes all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Each play includes a synopsis and historical data describing the sources Shakespeare used to create each play.
