The book aims to air ideas about Western modern theatre, to explain, to illustrate, to stimulate. Its basic premise is that theatre and drama offer a unique combination of thinking and doing, and that anybody who tries to practise it, at however simple a level,will gain by it. This book tries to suggest the links between theory and practice (which explains why some chapters move from the very theoretical suddenly into the absolutely hands-on practical).
Since its first publication in 1938, The Theater and Its Double
by the French artist and philosopher Antonin Artaud has continued to
provoke, inspire, enrage, enliven, challenge, and goad any number of
theatrical debates in its call for a "Theater of Cruelty." A trio of
theatrical manifestos, the book is an aggressive attack on many of the
most treasured beliefs of both theater and Western culture. According
to Artaud, the theater's "double" is similar to its Jungian "shadow,"
the unacknowledged, unconscious element that completes it but is in
many ways its opposite.
In 1993, the first gathering for Gardner (G4G1) was held in Atlanta, where he was honored for all of his work in making mathematics interesting and entertaining. As befits a gathering of this type, many people wrote papers in the areas of magic, puzzles and mathematics to be presented at the conference. Those papers, plus a few that didn't make it into the official list, have been gathered together to make this book.
The papers are split into three categories: Personal Magic, Puzzlers and Mathemagics. While none were authored by the master, they all clearly bear his stylistic signature. The presentation is clear, entertaining and all reach the point quickly and effectively.
"Students seeking information about nontraditional drama careers will find this an essential handbook. . . . Highly recommended for libraries at all levels." Choice
The core of the book centres around the idea of cognitive dissonance, where the brain has to reconcile two contrasting viewpoints. For example the self belief that "I am rational and intelligent" with the action "I am slowly killing myself by smoking". The dissonance could be resolved by concluding that actually I am neither rational nor especially intelligent, but of course no one wants to conclude that! So instead I look for levers to reduce the gap in the other direction. Smoking helps me to relax, and stress is a big killer, smoking helps me to keep my weight down and obesity is a big health problem. And so on......
This book is a fascinating insight into human nature and will help you understand both other people and more importantly yourself a lot better.
