San Antonio College Library

This fascinating program brings viewers into a workshop run by John Barton, cofounder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, that demonstrates how vividly accessible Shakespeare's language can be when it is heard rather than read. Barton explains that Shakespeare's text gives subtle cues to actors about how a scene should be played, and that audiences can become immersed in the action by a verbal invitation to the imagination ("Think, when we talk of horses,...

The historical Dr. Faust, and the legends that have arisen around him thanks to the writings of Marlowe, Lessing, and Goethe, are the subject of this fascinating program. The real Faust-excommunicated as a heretic-is presented as a victim of the political and religious tensions of his day. In a medieval world that believed in the corporeal presence of the Devil, the accusation that Faust was in league with Mephistopheles seems strangely reasonable....

They gave their names to some of the most memorable plays in Western history, and, thousands of years later, they are still very much a presence in contemporary culture. Who were the women of classical Greek drama? In this program, the presentation of powerful women in Medea, Antigone, and Lysistrata is contrasted with the circumscribed role of women in Athenian society by Princeton University's Froma Zeitlin; Helene Foley, of Barnard College; Jeffrey...

In this program, Brooks McNamara, expert on 19th-century theater at New York University; theater historian and author Mary Henderson; playwright Michael Dinwiddie; and New York City historian George Thompson examine the efforts at theater-making in America from the 1750s to the eve of the Civil War. Among the topics discussed are actor training; the stage careers of Ira Aldridge, Edwin Forrest, and William Macready; the African Theater Company; the...

In this program, Ellen Adler, owner of The Stella Adler Conservatory, and author William Simon appraise the impact of the drama groups that flourished during the Depression-both those that were privately operated and those that were federally funded-and their lasting contributions to theater. Among the topics discussed are the American Method style of acting, as pioneered at the Group Theatre; the Federal Theater, the Classical Theatre (Project 891),...

Tennessee Williams' masterpiece The Glass Menagerie is a prime example of the memory play in modern literature. In this program hosted by Eli Wallach, former cast members and directors of Menagerie discuss plot and thematic elements, the characterization of some of theater's most memorable and enduring dramatic figures, and the era in which the play was written. Commentary is provided by Ruby Dee, Olympia Dukakis, Julie Harris, and Molly Regan (Amanda);...