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The Theatre Experience, 12th Edition
The re-imagined twelfth edition of The Theatre Experience is students' ticket to the best seat in the house. From Broadway to makeshift theater spaces around the world, the author demonstrates the active and lively role they play as audience members by engaging them in the collaborative and creative processes behind and in front of the curtain. Wilson introduces students to the roles of the performers, directors, producers and designers, while emphasizing the insights they as audience members bring to any production. Recast as fifteen chapters, the twelfth edition better accommodates today's teaching schedules, as well as improves accessibility for students by concise insight and up-to-date vibrant production visuals. Students join the creative process with The Theatre Experience , and rehearse for their role as life-long audience members.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
29 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Edwin Wilson
43 books3 followersAuthor, teacher, critic, Edwin Wilson began his career as Assistant to the Producer for the Broadway play Big Fish, Little Fish, directed by John Gielgud, and the film Lord of the Flies, directed by Peter Brook. He produced plays off-Broadway and coproduced the Broadway play Agatha Sue, I Love You, directed by George Abbott. He also produced the film The Nashville Sound.
Educated at Vanderbilt, Edinburgh, and Yale, he received the first Doctor of Fine Arts degree awarded by Yale. From 1972 to 1994 he was the theatre critic for The Wall Street Journal. For thirty years he taught at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center. During the past four decades he has been the preeminent writer of college theatre textbooks in the U.S. His three books (two coauthored with Alvin Goldfarb) have sold over one million copies.
He has served as president of the Theatre Development Fund and the New York Drama Critics Circle, as well as chairman of the Pulitzer Prize Drama Jury. In the early 1990s, he conducted a series of ninety half-hour television interviews with theater artists ranging from George Abbott to Jerry Zaks, which on appeared on CUNY-TV in New York and 200 PBS stations around the country.
The Patron Murders is Wilson's first novel.
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Praise for The Patron Murders:
“A smashing debut! Patron Murders is a diabolically witty mystery that begins as a classic backstage murder before spinning into the ether where New York’s leading patrons of the Arts are most inventively and gruesomely dispatched. The Art World trembles! Thanks to a gentleman actor doubling as detective [Shades of Lord Peter Wimsey], who mourns a mythical past where things like this never happened who also has a knack for using the latest technology, he solves the case most satisfactorily. Wilson’s intimate knowledge of the way New York works pays off with an ending right out of Moliere’s Misanthrope. I believe reviewers in another time would call this “A delicious romp.” I call it ‘A very good read.’” - John Guare, playwright, author of The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, and Landscape of the Body; member of The Theatre Hall of Fame.
"An actor becomes an amateur sleuth in Ed Wilson’s New York-savvy detective story, an entertaining blend of Law & Order and a bold-faced version of the real world. Only the solution to several murders will reveal which among the characters are genuine art and theatre lovers and which are the fat-cat phonies and Johnny-come-latelies. Kudos to Wilson for his sparkling debut, a thriller with a social conscience and a sense of humor." - Molly Haskell, film critic, author, From Reverence to Rape, Frankly, My Dear: “Gone with the Wind” Revisited, Holding My Own in No Man’s Land, My Brother, My Sister.
“Put on your tux, pour yourself a gin, and turn up the Cole Porter… From start to finish Edwin Wilson has masterfully conjured a riveting detective mystery for the smart set. It is a captivating tale of murder and intrigue that will take you on an unforgettable journey through Manhattan’s finest locales and High Society.” - Adam Van Doren, Artist and Writer; author of An Artist in Venice and Homes of American Presidents: The House Tells the Story.
"A vivid and informed reflection of the actor’s life on stage and off, The Patron Murders is a classic fusion of narrative tension, engaging characters, and a richly textured review of contemporary culture, business, and moral values. A murder-mystery as enlightening as it is entertaining." - Sidney Offit, editor, teacher, author of Memoir of a Bookie’s Son and Friends, Writers, and Other Countrymen; Curator Emeritus of the George Polk Awards.
Educated at Vanderbilt, Edinburgh, and Yale, he received the first Doctor of Fine Arts degree awarded by Yale. From 1972 to 1994 he was the theatre critic for The Wall Street Journal. For thirty years he taught at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center. During the past four decades he has been the preeminent writer of college theatre textbooks in the U.S. His three books (two coauthored with Alvin Goldfarb) have sold over one million copies.
He has served as president of the Theatre Development Fund and the New York Drama Critics Circle, as well as chairman of the Pulitzer Prize Drama Jury. In the early 1990s, he conducted a series of ninety half-hour television interviews with theater artists ranging from George Abbott to Jerry Zaks, which on appeared on CUNY-TV in New York and 200 PBS stations around the country.
The Patron Murders is Wilson's first novel.
---
Praise for The Patron Murders:
“A smashing debut! Patron Murders is a diabolically witty mystery that begins as a classic backstage murder before spinning into the ether where New York’s leading patrons of the Arts are most inventively and gruesomely dispatched. The Art World trembles! Thanks to a gentleman actor doubling as detective [Shades of Lord Peter Wimsey], who mourns a mythical past where things like this never happened who also has a knack for using the latest technology, he solves the case most satisfactorily. Wilson’s intimate knowledge of the way New York works pays off with an ending right out of Moliere’s Misanthrope. I believe reviewers in another time would call this “A delicious romp.” I call it ‘A very good read.’” - John Guare, playwright, author of The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, and Landscape of the Body; member of The Theatre Hall of Fame.
"An actor becomes an amateur sleuth in Ed Wilson’s New York-savvy detective story, an entertaining blend of Law & Order and a bold-faced version of the real world. Only the solution to several murders will reveal which among the characters are genuine art and theatre lovers and which are the fat-cat phonies and Johnny-come-latelies. Kudos to Wilson for his sparkling debut, a thriller with a social conscience and a sense of humor." - Molly Haskell, film critic, author, From Reverence to Rape, Frankly, My Dear: “Gone with the Wind” Revisited, Holding My Own in No Man’s Land, My Brother, My Sister.
“Put on your tux, pour yourself a gin, and turn up the Cole Porter… From start to finish Edwin Wilson has masterfully conjured a riveting detective mystery for the smart set. It is a captivating tale of murder and intrigue that will take you on an unforgettable journey through Manhattan’s finest locales and High Society.” - Adam Van Doren, Artist and Writer; author of An Artist in Venice and Homes of American Presidents: The House Tells the Story.
"A vivid and informed reflection of the actor’s life on stage and off, The Patron Murders is a classic fusion of narrative tension, engaging characters, and a richly textured review of contemporary culture, business, and moral values. A murder-mystery as enlightening as it is entertaining." - Sidney Offit, editor, teacher, author of Memoir of a Bookie’s Son and Friends, Writers, and Other Countrymen; Curator Emeritus of the George Polk Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 14, 2017
I needed it for my Intro to Theatre class, but wound up reading it for fun. Easy read. Good for those lacking in theatre background.
June 6, 2021
I learned so much from this book in my Art of Theatre class, it's well organized and was easy to use to study for tests.
July 21, 2021
Great Book if you want to learn about the Theatre! I learned so much interesting information!
January 30, 2023
This was my textbook for intro to theater. It's not a topic of my interest so it was pretty boring for me.
May 11, 2012
I read this book for my theater appreciation class I especially like the sections on staging and lighting I would even recommend this book for just plain enjoyment
It was one of the better layout textbooks I've read
every beginning sections highlighted every subsection is also highlighted
It was one of the better layout textbooks I've read
every beginning sections highlighted every subsection is also highlighted
February 20, 2012
I read this textbook as part of an Introduction to Theatre class in college, and I felt it was a good book for those of us with limited background in theatre. It was good for the purpose and easily understood.
July 12, 2022
I read this book for my elective Theatre class and loved learning all about it. So much history and so many amazing works too. Theatre is a beautiful art, I appreciate it and truly loved it. It left me inspired to go watch and support more plays.
May 19, 2013
This is a great introduction to theater.
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September 28, 2015Easy read. Required elective arts class for my nursing degree.
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February 24, 2016This book is very interesting!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews