Makers of Modern Theatre

Book excerpt: Who were the giants of the twentieth-century stage, and exactly how did they influence modern theatre? Robert Leach's Makers of Modern Theatre is the first detailed introduction to the work of the key theatre-makers who shaped the drama of the last century: Konstantin Stanislavsky, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud. Leach focuses on the major issues which relate to their dominance of theatre history: *What was significant in their life and times? *What is their main legacy? *What were their dramatic philosophies and practices? *How have their ideas been adapted since their deaths? *What are the current critical perspectives on their work? Never before has so much essential information on the making of twentieth-century theatre been compiled in one brilliantly concise, beautifully illustrated book. This is a genuinely insightful volume by one of the foremost theatre historians of our age.