What is unique and essential about theater? What separates it from other arts? Do we need ''theater'' in some fundamental way? The art of theater, as Paul Woodruff says in this elegant and unique book, is as necessary--and as powerful--as language itself. Defining theater broadly, including sporting events and social rituals, he treats traditional theater as only one possibility in an art that--at its most powerful--can change lives and (as some peoples believe) bring a divine presence to earth. The Necessity of Theater analyzes the unique power of theater by separating it into the twin arts of watching and being watched, practiced together in harmony by watchers and the watched. Whereas performers practice the art of being watched--making their actions worth watching, and paying attention to action, choice, plot, character, mimesis, and the sacredness of performance space--audiences practice the art of watching: paying close attention. A good audience is emotionally engaged as spectators; their engagement takes a form of empathy that can lead to a special kind of human wisdom. As Plato implied, theater cannot teach us transcendent truths, but it can teach us about ourselves. Characteristically thoughtful, probing, and original, Paul Woodruff makes the case for theater as a unique form of expression connected to our most human instincts. The Necessity of Theater should appeal to anyone seriously interested or involved in theater or performance more broadly.

戏剧的独特和本质是什么？它与其他艺术的区别在哪里？我们是否在某些基本方面需要 "戏剧"？正如保罗-伍德拉夫在这本优雅而独特的书中所说，戏剧艺术就像语言本身一样必要--也一样强大。他对戏剧进行了广泛的定义，包括体育赛事和社会仪式，他将传统戏剧视为一种艺术的可能性，这种艺术--在其最强大的时候--可以改变生活，并且（正如一些人所相信的那样）将神圣的存在带到人间。戏剧的必要性》分析了戏剧的独特力量，将其分为观察和被观察这两种艺术，由观察者和被观察者和谐地共同实践。表演者练习的是 "被看 "的艺术--使他们的行为值得关注，并注意动作、选择、情节、人物、模仿和表演空间的神圣性--而观众练习的是 "看 "的艺术：密切关注。一个好的观众作为观众在情感上是投入的；他们的参与是一种移情的形式，可以导致一种特殊的人类智慧。正如柏拉图所暗示的，戏剧不能教给我们超然的真理，但它可以教给我们关于自己的知识。保罗-伍德鲁夫以其特有的深思熟虑、探究性和原创性，将戏剧作为一种独特的表达形式，与我们最原始的人类本能联系起来。戏剧的必要性》应该吸引任何对戏剧或更广泛的表演感兴趣或参与的人。