I loved the way that Hornby takes us through his structuralist theories. Very accessible, interesting, and practical. ( )

An analysis of playscripts from a structuralist approach. Many resources utilize a reductionist approach to dramatic criticism, but this author favors a more structuralist approach, where the script is a unified whole, and the actual written script is considered a vital part of the performance. He prefers to look for the unifying principle underlying the play, and feels that too many actors and directors are focused on the more superficial meanings. He compares this to science, and herein lies my one major complaint. If artists insist on talking about how science is done, it would be nice if they would get it more accurate. And understand the dynamics of science. The approach he is describing is reminiscent of ecology, not the physics and mathematics he fondly believes he is emulating (both of which tend a great deal toward reductionism). Biology is ignored, though it is actually analogous to his method. Overall, though, there are very good things in this book, including the author's chiding of directors who constantly insist on speeding up performances in the belief that it will make it move; he believes that this can actually lead to a more draggy experience, if the tempo of the script is ignored. Recommend this book highly. ( )