Synopses & Reviews
Many theatres and theatre companies host post-show discussions, or talkbacks, as part of their season. Often these are done for established plays with the goal of audience cultivation; others are done as part of the new development process. While post-show discussions are fairly ubiquitous, without a clear definition of what they are, who they are for, how they are led, and how they are structured, they are floundering. Playwrights consider them a joke, theatres use them for audience cultivation on top of helping the playwright, thus muddying the focus of the discussions, and audiences are unsure as to their role in the post-show discussion because they aren't properly prepared for them. This book is a critical examination of what has and has not worked with post-show discussions utilized in new play development. Fisher provides a framework for understanding these discussions, steps for building the foundation of them, and strategies for structuring them in a variety of ways.
Review
"This is a valuable and significant project. It is well researched and I am very impressed that Fisher refers so often to works and writers for young audiences, and puts them on an equal footing with those who work for and with adult audiences." - Pamela Sterling, Associate Professor, Film, Dance, and Theatre, Arizona State University, USA
Synopsis
Many theatres host post-show discussions, or talkbacks, as part of their season. This book is a critical examination of what has/has not worked with post-show discussions utilized in new play development, providing a framework for understanding discussions, steps for building the foundation of them, and various strategies for structuring them.
About the Author
Teresa A. Fisher is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at Bronx Community College, CUNY, USA.