A Short History of Western Performance Space [Paperback]

A historical account of performance space within the theatrical traditions of western Europe.This innovative book provides a historical account of performance space within the theatrical traditions of western Europe. David Wiles takes a broad-based view of theatrical activity as something that occurs in churches, streets, pubs and galleries as much as in buildings explicitly designed to be 'theatres'. He traces a diverse set of continuities from Greece and Rome to the present, including many areas that do not figure in standard accounts of theatre history.This innovative book provides a historical account of performance space within the theatrical traditions of western Europe. David Wiles takes a broad-based view of theatrical activity as something that occurs in churches, streets, pubs and galleries as much as in buildings explicitly designed to be 'theatres'. He traces a diverse set of continuities from Greece and Rome to the present, including many areas that do not figure in standard accounts of theatre history.David Wiles considers theatrical activity happening in churches, streets, pubs and galleries, as well as in buildings explicitly designed to be theaters , in this historical account. Surveying performance space usage within the traditions of Western Europe, Wiles traces a diverse set of continuities, from Greece and Rome to the present, including many areas not included in standard accounts of theater history.Acknowledgements; List of illustrations; 1. Introduction; 2. Sacred space; 3. Processional space; 4. Public space; 5. Sympotic space; 6. The cosmic circle; 7. The cave; 8. The empty space; Select bibliography; Index. Meticulously researched, covering a broad sweep of performance history from classical Greece to modernist western Europe, lavishly illustrated with reproductions, original line drawings, maps, and diagrams, it presents descriptions and analyses of a wide range of performance practices. Modern Drama