Catholic Theatre and Drama: Critical Essays

by Kevin J. Wetmore Jr. (Editor)

Overview

The relationship between the Catholic Church and theatre has a long and complicated history. This collection of fourteen critical essays seeks to demystify the ties--both practical and ideological--that have long bound Catholicism to theatrical production. This volume offers insights into medieval theatre, Jesuit drama, ballet and opera, modern stagings of medieval liturgical drama, Lorca and Lope de Vega as Catholic playwrights, Italian Catholic women's drama, Catholic play-wrighting and acting, and the unique challenges of teaching theatre in Catholic universities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786447411
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	07/29/2010
Pages:	235
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr., is a professional actor and director whose previous books have covered topics ranging from Star Wars to Renaissance faires. He is a professor and chair of the theater department at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Introduction: What Is Catholic Theatre?     
KEVIN J. WETMORE,

Part I. History
1. Female Spirituality, Female Sexuality and Re-Viewing "Re-Viewing Hrotsvit": The Plays of Hrotsvit von Gandersheim as Counterdiscursive Inversion of the Church Fathers     
KEVIN J. WETMORE,
2. Not Just a University Theatre: The Significance of Jesuit School Drama in Continental Europe, 1540–1773     
JOOHEE PARK
3. Shakespeare as Catholic Dramatist in The Tempest     
MARY FRANCES WILLIAMS
4. Orthodoxy and Technique: Jesuit Ballet in the Post-Reformation Period     
THE REV. ANGELA YARBER
5. Little Mothers, Mischievous Boys, and Good Little Christians: Characters in Children’s Parlor Plays in America, 1858–1903     
SHANAN CUSTER
6. Religious Tragedy: García Lorca’s Unfinished Play About Christ     
CECILIA GONZÁLEZ-ANDRIEU
7. Catholic Theatre for Women in Post-War Italy: Education, Morality, and Social Change     
DANIELA CAVALLARO

Part II. Practice
8. Saints as Subject and Agenda: Notes on Catholic Playwriting     
ERIK
9. Magi Liturgical Dramas Performed in Worship: Two Case Studies of Interpretations of Medieval
Liturgical Drama     
THE REV. THERESA MASON
10. Opera News: Jesuits, Catholic Imagination, and the Staging of Cultural Conversations     
MICHAEL ZAMPELLI, S.J.
11. Ancient Ritual, Modern Drama: Catholic Worship and Playwriting Pedagogy     
SUSAN BRABANT BAXTER
12. Genesius in the City of Angels: Lope de Vega as a Catholic Playwright in a Bilingual Production of Lo fingido verdadero     
KEVIN J. WETMORE,
13. The Genesian Effect: Performing Damien Deepens an Actor’s Faith     
DAN CAWTHON
14. Publicity, Props and Playtext in a Franciscan Setting: The Practical Teaching of Everyman in a Small Catholic School     
TIMOTHY DUGAN

About the Contributors     
Index