Albert Reiner Glaap Livres

" ... a compelling journey seen through the eyes of a woman nearing the end of her life. At ninety, Hagar Shipley speaks movingly of the perils of growing old and reflects with bitterness, humor, and a painful awareness of her own frailties on the life she has led. From her childhood as the daughter of a respected merchant, to her rebellious marriage, Hagar has fought a long and sometimes misguided battle for independence and respect. In the course of examining and trying to understand the shape her life has taken, her divided feelings about her husband, her passionate attachment to one son and her neglect of another, she is sometimes regretful, but rarely penitent. Asking forgiveness from neither God nor those around her, she must still wrestle with her own nature: 'Pride was my wilderness, and the demon that led me there was fear.' She has been afraid of being unrespectable, afraid of needing too much, afraid of giving too much, and her pride is both disturbing and inspiring."--500 Great Books by Women; review by Sonja Larsen.

Alan Ayckbourn, one of England’s best-known director-playwrights, has so far written more than 80 stage plays, which he has directed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, Yorkshire, his very own ‘Ayckbournia.’ The first part of this volume deals with the make-up of Ayckbourn’s work and introduces the reader to some of the specifics of the SJT. The success of the English productions has ‒ over the past decades ‒ inspired theatre directors elsewhere to stage Ayckbourn’s plays in translation. The main part of this publication gives an insight into German productions of the ‘bard’s’ plays in German theatres: Where have they been staged? In which German cities? What have theatre critics had to say? How have the productions been received by German audiences? Which of the plays have been on the programme for a relatively long time? One may ask what lies behind the interest German theatregoers show in Ayckbourn’s plays, in English comedy in general. Alan Ayckbourn himself, a little tongue-in-cheek, told me of a woman who, after attending a performance of one of his plays, admitted to him that she wouldn’t have laughed so much if she had known what she was laughing about. English comedies have more than one dimension. There is something lurking under their entertaining surface.

This booklet serves as a handy reference, a ‘vademecum’—a term from the 16th and 17th centuries for portable books designed to provide essential facts on specific subjects. Today, it can be a useful companion for those interested in the creative process of one of Britain’s leading director-playwrights. While it does not delve into detailed analyses of Alan Ayckbourn’s seventy-eight comedies, it highlights key stages in his artistic development. Themes such as longevity, memory, chance, and randomness have emerged in his recent works. Over time, Ayckbourn's structural inventiveness has become more complex, encouraging audiences to actively interpret the intrinsic messages of his plays. Recently, a series of five short plays titled Roundelay (2014) was produced, allowing for performance in any order. This format invites the audience to explore potential connections between the events and characters. In contrast, Confusions, originally staged in the 1970s and recently remounted, consists of five short plays meant to be performed in a specific sequence. The differences between Roundelay and Confusions offer readers an opportunity to engage with Ayckbourn’s evolving theatrical vision.

Words can illuminate the life and culture of their users. This book invites readers to explore the cultural history embedded in modern English, revealing the influences that have shaped the language. Instead of merely looking out, it encourages a deep dive into the English language's evolution. From its foundational roots to contemporary usage, readers embark on a comprehensive tour, discovering the intricate details within. Part I delves into the history of English, highlighting the diverse peoples and cultures that have contributed to its development. Part II examines the language's inner mechanics, while Part III categorizes words into semantic fields. Some words and their histories may appear in multiple sections, illustrating the interconnectedness of etymologies and the richness of language. This work is not an academic text or a linguistic primer; rather, it serves as an invitation for those captivated by words, their histories, and language itself. Join this exploration of languages, cultures, and peoples, and peer through the windows that reveal the vibrant tapestry of English life and culture.

This volume signposts ways of gaining an insight into contemporary Canadian drama. It contains twelve essays on various English-Canadian plays which were written over the past fifteen years and thus allow glimpses of recent trends and developments. The first essay briefly surveys the current state of Canadian theatre. Some articles overlap so that they also lend themselves to contrastive approaches to the plays discussed. The volume may as well serve as a course book for students of Canadian drama. Additional information and suggestions for classroom work at both school and university levels are provided in the appendix. · Canadian Theatre Today (Plays and Productions) · Theatre and Drama in the Maritime Provinces · Anguished Human Relations and the Search for Love · New Canadian Plays on American-Canadian Relations · Aspects of Multiculturalism · Dramatic Writing from African-Canadian Authors · Constructing a New Diversity · Contemporary Plays by First Nations Authors · Re-Discovering Canada in Plays from the Yukon · Canadian Plays in German-speaking theatres · Newfoundland Theatre and its Playwrights · Joan MacLeod’s The Shape of a Girl

Intended for those readers who are interested in new trends and developments in Canadian Theatre. Particularly useful as a handbook and reference guide for dramaturgs in theatres outside of Canada. Includes brief remarks on more plays and offers a list of Canadian theatre contacts."

The last few decades of the twentieth century have witnessed an unprecedented growth of theatre and drama in the countries of the former British Empire. One of the major achievements of this emerging postcolonial theatre and drama consits in translating onto the stage visions of the political, social and cultural patterns characteristic of the home country of the respective author. Postcolonial drama can be viewed, especially by European readers and spectators, as means of „keying in“ to postcolonial cultures. To that end, the essays collected in this volume approach a number of postcolonial plays as being reflections of issues relevant to postcolonial socities, thus providing glimpses of cultures our European readers might not readily be familiar with. It is the editors' hope that the variety of perspectives on postcolonial drama offered in this volume will trigger the curiosity of theatregoers, theatre practitioners, and a general reading public wishing to „key in“ to facets of the cultures these plays mirror. Contributors: David O'Donnell; Adrian Kiernander; Kerrie Schaefer; Martina Ghosh-Schellhorn; Frank Schulze-Engler; Geoffrey Davis; Helge Nowak; Valérie Bada; Marc Maufort; Albert-Reiner Glaap

This second enlarged and updated edition of A Guided Tour through Ayckbourn Country, originally published in 1999, is not a traditional play or a scientific treatise but rather a collage. Compiled from interviews conducted by Albert-Reiner Glaap with Alan Ayckbourn, along with Ayckbourn's own statements and articles about his work, it chronicles Ayckbourn's career from its beginnings to the present. The work offers a broader perspective on Ayckbourn not just as a playwright but also as a director and, importantly, as a person. Glaap pays tribute to Ayckbourn, whom he has come to admire over the years, while also providing insight into "Ayckbourn country." This book serves as an introduction for those unfamiliar with Ayckbourn, offering a glimpse into his creative process and motivations. For readers already acquainted with his work, it aims to deliver unique background information that is often inaccessible, coming directly from Ayckbourn himself. Ultimately, this volume aspires to inspire further exploration of Ayckbourn's contributions to theatre and to enhance the understanding of his artistic journey.