Earth Matters on Stage: Ecology and Environment in American Theater.

Ryan, Courtney

Ecodramaturgy has three primary aims: (1) to make visible the invisible environmental ideologies and messages in plays, (2) to create new plays that respond to pressing environmental issues, and (3) to consider how theatre can reduce its ecological footprint. Examining both canonical and grassroots North American theatre from the late nineteenth century to today, May argues that theatre has been an active participant in US environmental history by at times propagating "ecological violence" and at others refuting it (2). May's book is essential reading for anyone interested in theatre and the environment, and its breadth and accessibility make it an ideal introduction to the burgeoning field of ecotheatre.

ENVIRONMENTAL history; COLONIES; ENVIRONMENTALISM; ECOFEMINISM; ENVIRONMENTAL justice; HUMAN behavior

Theatre Survey, 2021, Vol 62, Issue 2, p242

0040-5574

Review

10.1017/S0040557421000181