Synopses & Reviews
Eynat-Confino goes beyond the usual consideration of Craigand#8217;s purported theories of the actor, scenery, and the scene painter to get at the heart of Craigand#8217;s idea of theater.
She draws not only on the research of contemporary Craig scholars but on material hitherto unavailableand#151;his writings and daybooks and the writings of friends. She ties Craigand#8217;s encounter with Isadora Duncan to a decisive modification in his notion of movement. To have an instrument more controllable than the actor, he invented the and#252;ber-andshy;marionette, a giant puppet. Craig also invented the and#147;Scene,and#8221; a kinetic stage, the and#147;screensand#8221; that brought him worldwide fame were simply an adaptation of this concept.
Eynat-Confino argues that a scenario Craig wrote in 1905, here published for the first time, reveals a theosophical system like that of Blake, a system that was the main force motivating Craigand#8217;s artistic quest. In her final chapter, she carefully examines the psychological, aesthetic, and circumstantial factors that kept Craig from completing his work to bring and#147;friendlinessand#151;humorand#151;loveand#151;easeand#151;peaceand#8221; to the world.
About the Author
Irene Eynat-Confino is a free-lance writer, researcher, and theater consultant in Herzelia, Israel. She is now working on the meaning of the fantastic in modern Western theater.