A translation of the contents of the manual used for the masked dance of Korea. Readers will delight in the wit and liveliness of these dramas that depict human errors as well as the redeeming virtues of social bonds."...a pioneering collection of Korean mask-dance and puppet plays... a fine introduction to the traditional vernacular Korean theater..."--Choice

The Routledge Companion to the Contemporary Musical is dedicated to the musical's evolving relationship to American culture in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. In the past decade-and-a-half, international scholars from an ever-widening number of disciplines and specializations have been actively contributing to the interdisciplinary field of musical theater studies. Musicals have served not only to mirror the sociopolitical, economic, and cultural tenor of the times, but have helped shape and influence it, in America and across the globe: a genre that may seem, at first glance, light-hearted and escapist serves also as a bold commentary on society. Forty-four essays examine the contemporary musical as an ever-shifting product of an ever-changing culture. This volume sheds new light on the American musical as a thriving, contemporary performing arts genre, one that could have died out in the post-Tin Pan Alley era but instead has managed to remain culturally viable and influential, in part by newly embracing a series of complex contradictions. At present, the American musical is a live, localized, old-fashioned genre that has simultaneously developed into an increasingly globalized, tech-savvy, intensely mediated mass entertainment form. Similarly, as it has become increasingly international in its scope and appeal, the stage musical has also become more firmly rooted to Broadway--the idea, if not the place--and thus branded as a quintessentially American entertainment.

Carefully selected and represented, the plays in this collection showcase both the fantastic and the realistic innovations of Korean dramatists during a time of rapid social and historical change. Stretching from 1962 to 2004, these seven works tackle major subjects, such as the close of the Choson dynasty and the aftermath of the Korean War, while delving into trenchant cultural issues, such as the marginalization of students who rebel against mainstream education and the role of traditional values in a materialistic society. Longtime scholar of Korea and its vibrant, politically acute theater, Richard Nichols opens with a general overview of modern Korean drama since 1910 and concludes with an appendix describing theater production and audience attendance in Seoul. He chooses works that aren't just for Korean audiences. These texts confront universal themes and situations, tackling the problem of ambition, the trouble with fidelity, and the complexity of sexual and interpersonal relationships. Nichols situates each work critically, historically, and culturally, including brief biographies of playwrights and extensive notes. A bibliography also provides alternative readings and the titles of additional plays currently available in English. Primed for production, these skillful translations provide Western directors with exciting new material for the stage. At the same time, they offer students and scholars a sophisticated survey of the modern Korean dramatic tradition.

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Commentary (stories not included). Pages: 32. Chapters: The Santaroga Barrier, The Lathe of Heaven, The Colour Out of Space, Spacehounds of IPC, Trullion: Alastor 2262, The Skylark of Space, Triplanetary, The Second Trip, Armageddon 2419 A.D., The Master Mind of Mars, Skylark Three, I, Robot, Breakfast at Twilight, After 12,000 Years, Tarzan and the Foreign Legion, Anniversary, The Planet Savers, Llana of Gathol, Savage Pellucidar, The Sunken World, The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal, The Weapon Too Dreadful to Use, Marooned Off Vesta, Gateway to Strangeness, What is This Thing Called Love?, Robot AL-76 Goes Astray, Time Enough, The Builder, One Million Tomorrows, Satisfaction Guaranteed, The Return of Tharn, The Crystal Horde, The Hidden Universe, The Days of Perky Pat, Sshhh ..., Billennium, Islands of Space, The Bridge of Light, Seeds of Life, Birth of a Notion, The Ship Who Searched, Project Nightmare, Encounter in the Dawn, Divided We Fall, Uphill Climb, Whatll We Do with Ragland Park'. Excerpt: The Lathe of Heaven is a 1971 science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. The plot revolves around a character whose dreams alter reality. The story was first serialized in the American science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. The novel received nominations for the 1972 Hugo and the 1971 Nebula Award, and won the Locus Award for Best Novel in 1972. Two television film adaptations have been released: the acclaimed PBS production, The Lathe of Heaven (1980); and Lathe of Heaven (2002), a remake produced by the A&E Network. The title is taken from the writings of Chuang Tzu - specifically a passage from Book XXIII, paragraph 7, quoted as an epigraph to Chapter 3 of the novel: To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment. Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven. ( ...

This book explores comic performance in Pakistan through the vibrant Indo-Muslim tradition of the Punjabi bhānd which now holds a marginal space in contemporary weddings. With irreverent repartee, genealogical prowess, a topsy-turvy play with hierarchies and shape shifting, the low-status bhānd jostles space in otherwise rigid class and caste hierarchies. Tracing these negotiations in both historical and contemporary sites, the author unfolds a dynamic performance mode that travels from the Sanskrit jester and Sufi wise fool, into Muslim royal courts and households, weddings, contemporary carnivalesque and erotic popular Punjabi theatre and satellite television news. Through original historical and ethnographic research, this book brings to life hitherto unexplored territories of Pakistani popular culture and Indo-Muslim performance histories.

This book offers an exploration of the intersection of Korean theatre practice with Western literary theatre. Gangnam Style, K-Pop, the Korean Wave : who hasn't heard of these recent Korean phenomena? Having spent two years in Korea as a theatrical and cultural ‘tourist’, Patrice Pavis was granted an unparalleled look at contemporary Korean culture. As well as analyzing these pop culture mainstays, however, he also discovered many uniquely Korean jewels of contemporary art and performance. Examining topics including contemporary dance, puppets, installations, modernized pansori, 'Koreanized' productions of European Classics and K-pop and its parody, this book provides a framework for an intercultural and globalized approach to Korean theatre. With the first three chapters of the book outlining methodology, the remaining chapters test – often deconstructing and transforming in the process - this framework, using focused case studies to introduce the reader to the cultural and artistic world of a nation with an increasing international presence in theatre and the arts alike.

This book is a study of Salpuri-Chum, a traditional Korean dance for expelling evil spirits. The authors explore the origins and practice of Salpuri-Chum. The ancient Korean people viewed their misfortunes as coming from evil spirits; therefore, they wanted to expel the evil spirits to recover their happiness. The music for Salpuri-Chum is called Sinawi rhythm. It has no sheet music and lacks the concept of metronomic technique. In this rhythm, the dancer becomes a conductor. Salpuri-Chum is an artistic performance that resolves the people’s sorrow. In many cases, it is a form of sublimation. It is also an effort to transform the pain of reality into beauty, based on the Korean people’s characteristic merriment. It presents itself, then, as a form of immanence. Moreover, Salpuri-Chum is unique in its use of a piece of white fabric. The fabric, as a symbol of the Korean people’s ego ideal, signifies Salpuri-Chum’s focus as a dance for resolving their misfortunes.