Bernard Beckerman (1921–1985)

Not so much a how to book as a discussion of the dynamics of theatre as a living art. Plays are not meant to be read, but to be experienced live. The author discusses the various aspects of the living art of theatre, breaking down the play into segments to look at such things as motion, intensity, and the crux of the scene. Books like this are more useful, in my opinion, than the many how to craft books that have proliferated in recent years; this book gets at the meat of the play without preaching at the writers on the "right" way to do things. He also acknowledges that there is no one right way to do things, and looks at the evolution of plays since the time of the ancient Greeks, through Shakespeare, into the mid-20th century. Theatre is a constantly changing art, and in order to understand it, we have to place it in the culture of the time. Another thing I liked about this work is that the author is rather dismissive of Aristotle; literature is still too hung up on Aristotle, and it can be difficult to move forward when you're tied to the ideas of 3000 years ago.… (more)