Scholars; amateur historians and actors have shaped theatre history in different ways at different times and in different places. This Companion offers students and general readers a series of accessible and engaging essays on the key aspects of studying and writing theatre history. The diverse international team of contributors investigates how theatre history has been constructed; showing how historical facts are tied to political and artistic agendas and explaining why history matters to us. Beginning with an introduction to the central narrative that traditionally informs our understanding of what theatre is; the book then turns to alternative points of view ndash; from other parts of the world and from the perspective of performers in fields such as music-theatre and circus. It concludes by looking at how history is written in the democratic age of the Internet and offers a new perspective on theatre history in our globalised world.
#881078 in eBooks 2003-07-01 2003-07-01File Name: B00FF9VQ9A
Review
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Entertaining; Enlightening Insights into a Cultural Icon and Economic PowerhouseBy S. O. HigginsMickey Mouse celebrated his 86th birthday in November 2014. His image is now found more often on merchandise than on movie and television screens; but his greatest performances continue to entertain us. Moreover; Mickey and the company built around him continue to influence world culture in ways that were inconceivable when he first attained public awareness in 1928rsquo;s ldquo;Steamboat Willie;rdquo; the first animated sound film.For readers who; like me; first became aware of Mickey Mouse a few years after he made his final appearance as a lead ldquo;actorrdquo; on the big screen in 1953; Garry Apgarrsquo;s astutely chosen collection of news articles and essays on Mickeyrsquo;s astonishing career is enlightening; comprehensive and thought-provoking. It is also fun to read.Apgarrsquo;s selections cover Mickeyrsquo;s role in advancing film technology and the quality of animated film; raising Depression-era spirits; saving bankrupt companies (toy train-maker Lionel and watchmaker Waterbury/Ingersoll); beating the Nazis; and building the hugely successful multimedia; real estate; and merchandising powerhouse that is The Walt Disney Company.Much of the information in ldquo;A Mickey Mouse Reader ldquo; will be of special interest to Baby Boomers who as children were proud members of the televised Mickey Mouse Club of the 1950s; but who later became bored or disillusioned by The Mouse. For them; Mickey--whose image was emblazoned on planes and combat vehicles during World War II as a symbol of American Idealism mdash; became their special friend (ldquo;Why? Because we mdash; i.e.; Mickey and his Mouseketeer friends mdash; like you!rdquo;). However; as they grew up and faced the issues rocking the country in the 1960s and 1970s; Mickey became for many a representative of commerce gone wild and a spokesman for cultural imperialism. Apgarrsquo;s collection clearly shows that; whatever Mickey has been (or not) over the years; representatives of varying political viewpoints; both in America and elsewhere; have attempted to co-opt The Mouse for their own purposes.If; of course; you have no interest in cinema; no interest in animation; no interest in the nature of entrepreneurship; or in the making of cultural icons; yoursquo;ll find little of interest here. Likewise; if you are incurious as to the roles Mickey Mouse has played as a favorite of royalty; as a D-Day-related code word; and a persona of interest to writers as varied as Anna Quindlen; Walter Benjamin; Irving Wallace; E. M. Forster; James Michener; John Updike; artists Diego Rivera and Maurice Sendak; scientist Stephen J. Gould and Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt hellip; well; this book is not for you.For those; however; who have some of these interests; ldquo;A Mickey Mouse Readerrdquo; is a surprisingly informative book; well worth the time spent with it. The volume clearly demonstrates that one cannot be dismissive of The Mouse as a cultural signifier; and; Mickey must be reckoned with as the wellspring of the Disney companyrsquo;s economic savvy; its creative processes; and its zealous protection of its intellectual property.The book would benefit from having illustrations but it is; after all; a ldquo;reader;rdquo; not an art book. (Ideally; Apgarrsquo;s forthcoming volume dealing with Mickey as an American icon will provide appropriate balance; showing interpretations of Mickey by major visual artists). The bookrsquo;s intellectual authority is aided by a comprehensive bibliography; capsule biographies of the essaysrsquo; authors; and the inclusion of both translations and reprints of essays originally published in German; French and Spanish.Apgar has organized his selections chronologically; which enables his readers to discover for themselves the evolution of the Mickey (and Disney) story. Every article is reprinted in its entirety; resulting in the inclusion of passages that may strike some readers as repetitive. However; readers aware of how the sausage of media news is made; will find this ldquo;repetitionrdquo; revealing: It demonstrates the degree to which reporters and essayists writing in the same timeframe drew upon skillfully managed interviews and ldquo;background kitsrdquo; that were legitimately; but most certainly; orchestrated and provided by Disney publicists. The use of original articles in their entirety also tacitly demonstrates the way legends are built; myths created and errors perpetuated (or; less often; revised and corrected) as one generation of writers draws upon work from a preceding one.Several articles in the anthology mdash; notably those by Arthur Mann; Frank Nugent and L. H. Robbins deal in whole or part with the economic clout of The Mouse. (Walt Disney himself often referred to Mickey as The Mouse). The Disney Studio; particularly in its early days (it existed before Mickey; but it was Mickey that launched it as an entertainment powerhouse in 1928); derived more income from merchandising of Mickey products than from his films. (As ldquo;Mickey marketingrdquo; declined; those revenues were bolstered by licensing and sales of other Disney character images: Donald Duck; Goofy; Pluto; and major characters like those in the recent Disney blockbuster; ldquo;Frozenrdquo;). Frank Nugent writing in 1947; notes that Disneyrsquo;s total revenue (much of it from merchandising and licensing of characters; mostly from Mickey); totaled about $100 million annually at the time; or about $1.65 billion in 2014 money. Of course; this was before Disney expanded into theme parks; cable; broadcast; live-action cinema and its many contemporary operations; which will give it estimated 2014 revenues in the $84-85 billion range. Today; it employs some 180;000 people worldwide; compared to about 650 when; at age 5; Mickeyrsquo;s economic muscle first began to attract notice.The University of Mississippi Press; which has established a strong presence as publisher of books on cartooning and animation; has further strengthened its reputation with the publication of this handsomely designed; built-to-last volume that makes a significant contribution to the field.By way of disclaimer; I am an acquaintance of the editor (who also wrote the bookrsquo;s introduction and included reprints of two of his own previously published articles). I did; however; purchase my copy (two; in fact) of this book from .com. I have no connection with the publishing house; nor with The Walt Disney Company.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Defining the MouseBy M. SonntagMickey Mouse was born in 1928 out of economic desperation and went on to far exceeded the humble dreams of his creator Walt Disney. Mickey put Walt on the map and allowed him to fulfill his potential has a creative and entrepreneurial genius.Mickey is more than a cartoon star; hes a cultural icon who remains the corporate identity of the studio he made famous. Although there were Disney cartoons before Mickey; Walt was certainly on the mark when he said "It all started with a mouse." Quite frankly; with Mickeys success it did.But what made Mickey so special? Whats his story? What is the appeal? Writers since day one have asked that question; Walt himself often seemed to struggle to define his greatest breakthrough. Garry Apgar opens up the vault as it were; on the discussion.In A MICKEY MOUSE READER you will hear from Walt Disney himself to contemporary journalists; artists and historians about Mickeys appeal; his history and his future. You will journey through time and very literally witness the cultural evolution of the greatest cartoon star of all time. Its an entertaining journey; one to savor.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy RICHARD ROBROCKVery interesting collection of archival articles. The history is fascinating.