Modern Asian Theatre And Performance 1900-2000

Modern Asian Theatre and Performance 1900 - 2000 is a ground-breaking survey, tracking the advent of modern drama in Japan, India, China, Korea and Southeast Asia. It considers the shaping power of realism and naturalism, the influence of Western culture, the relationship between theatrical modernisation and social modernisation, and how theatre operates in contemporary Asian society.

Organised by period, nation and region, each chapter provides: *a historical overview of the culture; *an outline of theatre history; *a survey of significant playwrights, actors, directors, companies, plays and productions. With contributions from an international team of scholars, this authoritative introduction will uniquely equip students and scholars with a broad understanding of the modern theatre histories of Asia.

Review: This monograph is a refreshing account of modern Asian theatre, attempting to deconstruct these rigid presumptions and to show an altogether different picture of theatre development in Asia in the past century ... the strength of the book lies in its unique approach to the subject. -- Szabolcs Musca New Theatre Quarterly Covering an extensive geographic area, this volume compiles information about 20th-century theatrical performance-as defined by the West-in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, India, and the many nations of Southeast Asia ... the book-which is replete with secondary (and tertiary) sources-provides extensive information and is a useful starting point for theater students interested in learning about the multiple and complex theater productions of 20th-century Asia.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; graduate students. -- J. L. Erdman, Columbia College Chicago CHOICE