As the creator of this text, I would like to welcome you on this journey through theatre, art, and entertainment. Whether you are a theatre enthusiast or brand new to the performing arts, this text is designed with you in mind.
My desire to write this initially came from my own frustrations with Introduction to Theatre textbooks. Each one I had previously used would spend several chapters discussing how theatre is made and the artists who make it, and then shove all of theatre history and theatre’s varying styles into the last two to three chapters. That’s thousands of years’ worth of information crammed at the end. For me, this organization did not serve students or the art form. I decided to do it differently.
Each chapter introduces new concepts, artistic roles, or traits you will find in theatre. Theatre history is discussed throughout the text, hopefully making it easier to see how our past relates to our present and future in the performing arts. This third edition also includes more examples of theatre from around the world in the hopes of giving a more global perspective on theatre, not just a Eurocentric one.
Quizzes and exams have been built into the text, and your instructor will give you more information on how these are incorporated into your specific course. You will also be given instructions on how to critique art, skills you will not only use throughout the course but also ones you can continue to apply as you consume art and entertainment in your own life. Thinking critically and appreciatively about the media and arts we encounter is increasingly important in our mass-market world of consumption.
Finally, I want to thank you for taking on the challenge of live theatre. It is an art form that has more risk involved because audiences often don’t know what they are getting themselves into. But the reward is enormous.
The power of live theatre is invigorating, and I cannot wait for you to experience it for yourself.
Debbie Swann graduated from Kansas State University with a B.A. in Theatre and English. From there, she earned her Master's in Theatre from Texas State University and trained in England at The Shakespeare Center, The Academy of Dramatic Art and The Royal Shakespeare Company. Before moving to Colorado, she taught, designed and directed theatre at Central Community College in Columbus, Nebraska. Debbie joined Colorado State University (CSU) in 2013 and teaches various acting courses as well as Introduction to Theatre, for which her publication, The Art of Entertainment, has been used since 2018. Debbie also teaches in the Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts program, teaching classes about global history and cultures as expressed through the arts. When not teaching, Debbie enjoys working with her students in her capacity as Director of Kids Do It All, a summer musical theatre camp for children ages 7-14. Each summer, Debbie and CSU Camp Counselors welcome over 300 kids into the University Center for the Arts at CSU, helping them write, design, and star in their own original plays.
As an avid artist herself, Debbie can be found making theatre at both CSU and within the Fort Collins, Colorado community. Some of her favorite CSU credits include Lysistrata, Machinal, Silent Sky, Paradise Lost, and performing alongside her students in Spring Awakening. Credits with Fort Collins’ OpenStage Theatre & Company include Steel Magnolias, Natural Shocks, and Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (director), and performing in Spring Awakening (OPUS Award), Avenue Q, and the Henry Award-nominated Don't Dress for Dinner. If she’s not on campus or in the theater, she is probably hiking or traveling or traveling with her family.