Author: George McCalmon

Publisher: Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press

Published: 1965

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13:

Historical drama, the means by which we live in the past and understand our heritage, is no longer confined to the large cities but in some form is now within the reach of most Americans. To assist the nonprofessional and others associated with the problems of writing and producing such drama competently and success­fully, the authors have written this comprehensive guidebook. It contains a wealth of practical suggestions, sketches for indoor and outdoor settings, sample scripts, and charts and graphs show­ing organizational and production structures, together with a mine of information on budgets, community relations, and other matters. The book is written for the nonspecialists, but it will be equally interesting to the professional. The advice for sponsors or pro­ducers is full and complete. The drawings include suggested staging arrangements for presentations in churches, auditoriums, stadiums, and outdoor locations, as well as sketches of some of the theatres (indoor and outdoor) now in use, adaptable to any community. Consideration is given to how a playwright may assemble and develop his material. Biography-drama is illustrated by a sample script, as are the development of pageant-drama and the writing of epic-drama. Appendices to the book include list of selected historical dramas, a glossary of terms, and a list of references.