Performance Studies: An Introduction marks the coming of age of performance studies not just as an acknowledged field of study but as an influential anti-discipline. - James Harding, Theatre Journal

A very effective summary of a lifetime of major creative and scholarly experiment that is almost certainly already having a major influence on numerous students in many drama, theatre, and performance studies departments in colleges and universities around the world. - Baz Kershaw, New Theatre Quarterly

Richard Schechners work is crucial to exploring the tricky and sometimes dangerous territories of performance. Not only is he responsible for continually expanding the boundaries of the field but also for demystifying esoteric issues. His work reaches wide constituencies. Through his writings, I always discover new ways of looking at performance, and through performance at the world at large. His thoughts always renew my desire to change the world. - Guillermo Gómez-Peña, performance artist and writer, San Francisco

An appropriately broad-ranging, challenging, and provocative introduction, equally important for practicing artists as for students and scholars of the performing arts. - Phillip Zarrilli, University of Exeter

Exactly what I have longed for. It provides linkages between concepts, gives historical perspective, and explains theoretical ideas in a language accessible to undergraduate students. It will be required reading. - Takahashi Yuichiro, Dokkyo University, Hyogo

It will make the teaching of performance studies a lot easier. - Colin Counsell, University of North London

A very effective summary of a lifetime of major creative and scholarly experiment. - New Theatre Quarterly

The text is very cleverly put together with a clear idea of how its features contribute to the reading of the material. I frankly cannot imagine it being done better. - Simon Shepherd, Central School of Speech and Drama, London

This fecund and useful volume sets up lively possibilities for exploring the entire spectrum of behaviors, restored or otherwise that Schechner as scholar, editor, and practitioner, has been sorting out for years with an enterprising spirit that now defines performance studies. - Herbert Blau, University of Washington, Seattle

This isnt merely the musings of a theatre director who never stops innovating. It is a global thinkers striking, historic way of understanding human nature from a surprisingly practical perspective, which can be adapted in countless areas at numerous levels. - Sun Huizhu, Professor of Drama, Shanghai Theatre Academy

This textbook is excellent and sure to excite classroom discussion. Whether teaching World Theatre or Performance Theory, it provides a provocative guide to questions that arise when performance is approached in a global perspective. I will certainly adopt it in my classroom. - Rebecca Schneider, Cornell University

Well written, thoughtful and provocative. An essential purchase. - Sally Harrison-Pepper, Miami University

An appropriately broad-ranging, challenging, and provocative introduction, equally important for practicing artists as for students and scholars of the performing arts.

–Phillip Zarrilli, University of Exeter

Exactly what I have longed for. It provides linkages between concepts, gives historical perspective, and explains theoretical ideas in a language accessible to undergraduate students. It will be required reading.

–Takahashi Yuichiro, Dokkyo University, Hyogo

Richard Schechner's work is crucial to exploring the tricky and sometimes dangerous territories of performance. Not only is he responsible for continually expanding the boundaries of the field but also for demystifying esoteric issues. His work reaches wide constituencies. Through his writings, I always discover new ways of looking at performance, and through performance at the world at large. His thoughts always renew my desire to change the world.

–Guillermo Gómez-Peña, performance artist and writer, San Francisco

This fecund and useful volume sets up lively possibilities for exploring the entire spectrum of behaviors, restored or otherwise that Schechner as scholar, editor, and practitioner, has been sorting out for years with an enterprising spirit that now defines performance studies.

–Herbert Blau, University of Washington, Seattle

This isn't merely the musings of a theatre director who never stops innovating. It is a global thinker's striking, historic way of understanding human nature from a surprisingly practical perspective, which can be adapted in countless areas at numerous levels.

–Sun Huizhu, Professor of Drama, Shanghai Theatre Academy

Product Description

The second edition of an important introductory textbook by a prime mover in the field of Performance Studies, which was a defining moment for the discipline. It provides a lively and accessible overview of the full range of performance for undergraduates at all levels and beginning graduate students in performance studies, theatre, performing arts and cultural studies. It includes discussion of the performing arts and popular entertainment, rituals, play and games as well as the performances of every day life. Supporting examples and ideas are drawn from the performing arts, anthropology, post-structuralism, ritual theory, ethology, philosophy and aesthetics. The text has been fully revised and updated, developed with input from leading teachers and trilled with students.

User-friendly, with a special text design, it also includes the following features:

· Extracts from primary sources giving alternative voices and viewpoints

· Biographies of key thinkers

· "Things to think about" and "things to do" to stimulate fieldwork, classroom exercises and discussion

· Key reading lists for each chapter

· 20 line drawings and 173 b/w photographs drawn from private and public collections around the world.