In the winter of 1847, the cloisters of Westminster Abbey enjoyed a sudden growth in popularity, though the visitors who streamed in were not of the usual kind. They were naturalists, come to see the very first marine aquarium in England, a large collection of madrepores and sea sponges kept in glass cases in the drawing-room of Ashburnham House. The Abbey aquarium was established not by the Revered Lord John Thynne, the Sub-Dean of the Abbey, but by his extraordinary wife Anna, a great beauty and mother of 10 children, who by a process of serendipity, discovered how to keep and breed her pet sea creatures in glass tanks in central London. Anna's invention of the aquarium coincided with a major philosophical turning point in history. Married to a clergyman, she found herself working in a field which cut right through to the heart of the prevailing conflict about the origins and development of life on the planet.

The anatomy theater is where students of the human body learn to isolate structures in decaying remains, scrutinize their parts, and assess their importance. Taking a new look at the history of anatomy, the author places public dissections alongside private ones to show how the anatomical theater was both a space of philosophical learning and a place where students learned to behave in a civil manner towards their teachers, their peers, and the corpse.

Illustrated with stunning photographs, Amazing Theaters of the World includes more than 150 of the most stunning theaters and opera houses around the globe, such as the Delacorte Theater in NYC, Oslo Opera House in Norway, and Teatro di San Carlo in Italy. The theater comes in many forms. Originating in the more rigid and repeated (but no less attractive) designs of Greek and Roman theaters, the buildings that now house our shared cultural output boast some of the finest, most creative structures in the world. Whether they are huge and cathedral-like or modest, concrete and futuristic, or neo-Renaissance, the physical constructions themselves capture the ambition of the arts performed within. With chapters organized by continent and featuring theaters and opera houses--and any space devoted to the performing arts--from the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Australasia, Amazing Theaters of the World includes modern masterpieces and ancient remains, art deco delights and Baroque classics, taking in centuries of theater building. Both the exterior and the interior of buildings are examined, with behind-the-scenes shots of dressing rooms and a look at the mechanics of putting on a show. In so doing, we catch a glimpse of how the performing arts and their homes have evolved over time.

THE STORY: The scene is the Morley farm, in the prairie country of Saskatchewan, Canada. Margaret and Walter Morley have been estranged for fourteen years, ever since his encounter with a water witch resulted in the arrival of his illegitimate da

This new edition of Physical Theatres: A Critical Introduction continues to provide an unparalleled overview of non-text-based theatre, from experimental dance to traditional mime. It synthesizes the history, theory and practice of physical theatres for students and performers in what is both a core area of study and a dynamic and innovative aspect of theatrical practice. This comprehensive book: traces the roots of physical performance in classical and popular theatrical traditions looks at the Dance Theatre of DV8, Pina Bausch, Liz Aggiss and Jérôme Bel examines the contemporary practice of companies such as Théatre du Soleil, Complicite and Goat Island focuses on principles and practices in actor training, with reference to figures such as Jacques Lecoq, Lev Dodin, Philippe Gaulier, Monika Pagneux, Etienne Decroux, Anne Bogart and Joan Littlewood. Extensive cross references ensure that Physical Theatres: A Critical Introduction can be used as a standalone text or together with its companion volume, Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader, to provide an invaluable introduction to the physical in theatre and performance. New to this edition: a chapter on The Body and Technology, exploring the impact of digital technologies on the portrayal, perception and reading of the theatre body, spanning from onstage technology to virtual realities and motion capture; additional profiles of Jerzy Grotowski, Wrights and Sites, Punchdrunk and Mike Pearson; focus on circus and aerial performance, new training practices, immersive and site-specific theatres, and the latest developments in neuroscience, especially as these impact on the place and role of the spectator.

When Theatres of Memory was first published in 1994, it transformed the debate about what is to be considered history and questioned the role of "heritage" that lies at the heart of every Western nation's obsession with the past. Today, in the age of Downton Abbey and Mad Men, we are once again conjuring historical fictions to make sense of our everyday lives. In this remarkable book, Samuel looks at the many different ways we use the 'unofficial knowledge' of the past. Considering such varied areas as the fashion for "retrofitting," the rise of family history, the joys of collecting old photographs, the allure of reenactment societies and televised adaptations of Dickens, Samuel transforms our understanding of the uses of history. He shows us that history is a living practice, something constantly being reassessed in the world around us.