Theater

Theater is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories using combinations of speech, gesture, music, sound and spectacle - indeed any one or more elements of the other performing arts. Theater takes such forms as opera, ballet, mime, pantomime. "Drama" is that branch of theater in which speech, from written text (plays or "dramatic literature") or improvised, is paramount.

20th Century American Theater:

[Eugene O'Neill]?

Arthur Miller

David Mamet

[Edward Albee]?

[Neil Simon]?

[George S Kaufmann]?

[Tennessee Williams]?

[Thorton Wilder]?

[[Lorraine Hansbury(sp?)]]

20th Century British Theater:

George Bernard Shaw

Tom Stoppard

[Harold Pinter]?

[John Osborne]?

[John Galsworthy]?

Samuel Beckett

20th Century German Language Theater Authors:

[Heiner Mueller]?

Bertolt Brecht

[Thomas Bernhardt]?

[Elfriede Jelinek]?

[Friederich Durrenmatt]?

[Wolfgang Hildesheimer]?

20th Century German Language Theater Directors:

[Fritz Kortner]?

[Peter Stein]?

[Peter Zadek]?

[Frank Castorf]?

[August Everding]?

[Max Reinhardt]?

This gives a brief outline of some of the better-known playwrights; but theater does not operate on playwrights alone. Plays are often produced by a Production team: various technical, support, and design staff. Among these are the [[Scenic designer]], the [Lighting designer]?, the [Costume designer]?, the Director, the Dramaturge? and the [Stage Manager]?. This is not an all inclusive list, and may include other personnel from the world of Technical Theatre.

See also: dramatists, History of Theater, [radio and television drama]?, [cinematic drama]?

/Talk

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What are our priorities for writing in this area? To help develop a list of the most basic topics about theater, please see theater basic topics.