Synopses & Reviews
Review
From `ace` (a one-night stand) to `zits` (a false beard), this compendium of 15,000 terms is a fascinating guide to contemporary and historical theatrical usage. Scope includes all aspects of drama and production, from burlesque, dramatic literature, opera, playwriting and theater management to vaudeville. Two-thirds of the terms explained are from English; the balance are from European, African, and, especially, Asian languages... Entries range from succinct definitions to paragraphs of several hundred words. Citations to an inclusive 150-page bibliography are given as needed and are a unique feature of this dictionary. Also useful is an introductory essay outlining the history of theater glossaries and encyclopedias... Type style is clean, crisp, and exceptionally readable. An excellent, highly useful, comprehensive work. Academic and public libraries.CHOICE
Review
Joel Trapido and his staff of editors and consultants have put together an impressive dictionary thet includes theatre terms from around the world. It is intended for a wide variety of users--theatregoers, students at all levels, scholars, amateur and professional theatre people. It covers terms both current and extant as used or once used in the English-speaking world. The number is quite impressive--some 10,000 English terms plus 5,000 from more than sixty foreign languages. The aim was to `find and define any theatre term which has been used by readers or speakers of English.' Thus, the majority are those used in the United States and Britain. Coverage begins with the theatre of ancient Greece in the sixth century B.C. to the present. All aspects of production (excluding the mass media) and drama are covered. Proper nouns, trade names or other terms with initial capitals are, for the most part, not included. Foreign terms are included only in their romanticized form as printed in theatre publications in English. Entries give the language, if not English, immediately after the headword, followed by a literal meaning of a foreign term. The definition follows, with encyclopedic information `designed to enrich' the explanation. The order of meanings is dictated by frequency of use. Entries also include, at times, synonyms, near-synonyms, cross-references, and citations. Foreign terms are printed in italics. Most entries make citations to other sources of information which are listed in the lengthy bibliography. A special feature is an eighteen-page `Brief History of Theatre Glossaries and Dictionaries.' The definitions are thorough-going, as is the breadth of content. This belongs on the shelves of every drama reference collection.Reference Book Review
Review
An International Dictionary of Theatre Language will be welcomed by all those who study or work in theatre. This Dictionary, by listing and identifying virtually all theatrical terms (foreign and domestic, archaic and current) used in English-language publications, largely solves the problem of deciphering theatrical language. Based on a vast number of English-language publications, this is by far the most comprehensive work of its type. It will undoubtedly become an indispensable reference work in theatre libraries, both public and private. The field owes the editors and compilers a debt of gratitude.Oscar G. Brockett, Waggener Professor of Drama, University of Texas at Austin