#TheatreAppreciation

Reviewed by Gerald Casper, Instructor, Rochester Community & Technical College on 6/26/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Most areas are very comprehensive considering what the authors of this textbook are trying to accomplish. They state in the forward that this book is aimed at students with little to no background in theatre. Keeping that in mind, while some of the chapters are simplistic, I think it would hold students’ interest better than some textbooks for a theatre appreciation class.
There isn’t an index or a glossary. Ea h chapter has a list of key words from the chapter with no definitions or links to the information in the chapter.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content seems very accurate. Some sections I like better than other texts I have read.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The information is relevant. Since textbooks are updated every few years, I think it would be very easy to update this textbook.

Clarity rating: 5

I found the text to be very clear. It would be an easy and enjoyable read for the students for which they are writing.

Consistency rating: 4

The text and framework seems mostly consistent. I don’t understand having playwriting, which is the starting point of theatre unless you are improvising, to be after the actor and director. It is a minor issue, but if I were to use this textbook I would have the students read the chapter on the playwright first.

Modularity rating: 5

I see no issues with modularity in this textbook.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

With exception to the chapter on the playwright, the order seems fine.
I feel that the chapter on musical theatre was a bit light on detail and a little opinionated on what is or was important. In my experience as a teacher at a community college, this is the subject that most students get excited about. I would feel the need to bring in a lot more information.

I was also surprised that absurdist theatre was covered so minimally. Although Samual Beckett is mentioned, “Waiting for Godot” was not mentioned. This seems to be a major omission, historically speaking.

Interface rating: 3

Many of the images and charts are blurry. I read the textbook on an iPad and then checked on a very high quality laptop. Some of the images with specific terminology references can’t be read at all. This is the biggest problem I had with this book.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There are a couple of minor grammatical errors. Mostly minor typos. Nothing that would keep me from using this textbook.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I think the text does a nice job of inclusion. Perhaps the term “Latinx” should be questioned. The rest of the book seemed fine to me.

Comments

I think I would use this book for a low level Introduction to Theatre or Theatre Appreciation class if they can fix the images issue and put in a glossary at the end of the book. I found the student’s perception chapter, written by a student, very interesting.

Reviewed by Erich Yetter, Assistant Professor, Anderson University on 2/6/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text covers a lot of areas and ideas concerning the subject of theatre and appropriately and provides an effective index and/or glossary. Chapters on Lighting (too technical), Costuming (too short), and Musical Theater (too biased) could be possibly re-examined and adjusted?. Noticeably missing was a chapter on stage makeup.(see Modularity below)

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The authors (especially Kiara Pipino and Andrew Kahl) are extremely knowledgeable and eloquent about their subject, their passion for the theatre is palpable. Other contributors were definitely biased in the inclusion of certain productions, genres, or persons related to their topic.
Two examples:

Chapter 8: The Playwright by Ingrid de Sanctis used one of the “blue boxes” to interview T.J. Young, a playwright and Asscoiate Professor at Carnegie Mellon. To be honest, it felt like a political nod to diversity and inclusion (a topic which should very well have an additional chapter, perhaps, but instead seemed forced into the conversation here and there). While Mr. Young is certainly accomplished, why not use the space discussing famous playwrights of the American Theatre like Authur Miller (1915-2005), Edward Albee (1928-2016), Tom Stoppard (b. 1937), Caryl Churchill (b. 1938), or Tony Kuchner (b. 1956), just to name a current few? If this is a survey/appreciation course then universally recognized people of influence/importance relating to theater should be included, no? The interview with Hal Luftig in Chapter 7: The Producer seems appropriate, given his proven stature and permanent mark on the national theater scene.

Chapter 14: Musical Theatre by Emily Jones was curious in the choices of important or transforming musical theatre productions. Showboat (the first true American musical) gets a nod with the same amount of text as Guys and Dolls and Hair. And a paragraph entitled The Commercialization of Broadway implies that box office, entertainment, and making money was not The Great White Way’s original intent. She also uses terms such as Latinx, which may be offensive or short-lived (see “Cultural” heading below).

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The book mentions specific actors, Broadway shows, and events, which can date the material quickly (an effective remedy could be to include more dates so that everything can be viewed relative to the specific era or time frame). Numerical figures (for example the average Broadway salary, or referencing the current year [2022!]) will change over a relatively short time frame (due to inflation, other economic factors, or the immediate passage of time). Other references to 9/11 or the COVID pandemic may date the material (in the mind of the reader) and in so doing, its relevance. Living costs/environment in New York City were not discussed, perhaps due to the rapidly changing conditions.

Clarity rating: 5

Yes I felt that this book for the most part would be an excellent reference for any theater major or student interested in learning about the theatre.

Consistency rating: 4

I felt that this book needed a more cohesive purpose, a clear identity (a problem for all collaborative manuscripts). Is it a book, as the title implies, for general students to build an appreciation of the theater or is it, as some of the technical chapters suggest, a manual for theater majors? Kiara Pipino was in sync with the former and several of her colleagues (like Dr. Kahl) were presenting the latter. Also, some of the chapters were beautifully researched (Chapter 5: The Actor by Andrew Kahl was especially well written, authoritative, informative and comprehensive, or Chapter 13: Applied Theatre by Krysta Dennis, fascinating!) while others were less appealing or detailed (Chapter 10: The Costume Team by Bethany Marx was only twelve pages long.).

Modularity rating: 5

Well organized and thought out although, due to the various authors, some chapters were longer, more comprehensive, better written than others. For example, Chapter 10: The Costume Team was thin and felt cursory. There could have been more discussion of historical styles, types of fabric, footwear, and auxiliary accoutrements (such as wigs, prosthetics, hats, props etc…). Noticeably missing was a chapter on stage makeup.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The book is well organized though more thorough editing may be needed. For instance, the material in Chapter 12: Theatre History, in Brief! was repetitive since the exact material was already covered in Chapter 1: A Bit of History section.

Interface rating: 2

This book in PDF format is a bit unwieldy due to its length, although the table of contents is well laid out at a glance. I wish there were more clear photos and examples of theater productions throughout. As it is, almost all of the photos and drawings that are included (and are essential in presenting a visual representation of what is being discussed) are so badly pixelated that the details and name plates are totally obfuscated (there are many examples of this, but the map of Lincoln Center on page 26 is especially egregious). The page breaks were arbitrary with often only one sentence on a vast sheet of white wasteland (for example: pages 55, 61, 74, 77, 81, 85, 93, 155 etc…).

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There were not glaring grammatical errors except for a few places. In the conversation with TJ Young on page 120 he refers to the ballet The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps) but its title is not capitalized. Also on pages 204 and 207 the photo credit is reproduced twice.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text perspective changes with the different authors of some of the chapters. This is understandable but sometimes the voice of the writer is more casual or technical than another’s. Often the author’s opinions or favorite subjects are (predictably) prominent but their preferences (choice of famous actors, shows, directors, ethnic terms, etc…) may conflict with the reader’s artistic or cultural worldview. (Personally, as a man of Mexican descent, I was put-off by the recurring term “Latinx” which is a trendy, somewhat ridiculous, and slightly offensive, word. In 2021, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) dropped the word from all official communications because “it’s very unliked by almost all Latinos.”).

Comments

The foreword by Kiara Pipino set the tone of the aim of the book (casual), but I am not sure it was followed through (her chapters were light and breezy, others' not so much). The intention of the text (at times light and entertaining, at times serious and technical) was sometimes unclear; whether it’s a book for non-theater majors or actual theater majors. The essay by Gillian Canavan, though not an expert, was interesting and might appeal to students because it was written by one.