Paul Baker and the integration of abilities / Robert Flynn and Eugene McKinney, editors.

ISBN:

9780585451374

Title:

Author:

Flynn, Robert, 1932-

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

1 online resource (261 pages) : illustrations

Contents:

A tale of five cities / Eugene Mckinney -- The integration of abilities : exercises for creative growth / William M. Doll -- Paul Baker and theater architecture / Arthur J. Rogers -- Baylor Theater : the phoenix rises / Harry Thompson and Raymond E. Carver -- Paris and beyond / Paul Baker -- Hope springs eternal : a different drummer times six / Darrel Baergen -- Playwrights are made, not born / Eugene McKinney -- Chester, Grace, and me / Glenn Allen Smith -- Roots and wings / Irene Corey -- Find your own path : an actor's journey / Claudia Sullivan -- From the Baylor Othello to the Dallas Theater Center / Mary Bozeman -- "Those old boats don't float" / Frances Swinny -- Booker T. Washington Arts High School / Louise Mosley Smith -- Children and teen theater / Kitty Baker [and others] -- Learning about learning / Susan Russell, Julia Jarrell, Susan McAtee Monday -- Theater of the spirit / Raymond Bailey -- Paul Baker biography.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Personal Subject:

Baker, Paul, 1911-

Subject Term:

Dramatists, American -- 20th century -- Biography.

Theatrical producers and directors -- United States -- Biography.

Added Author:

Flynn, Robert, 1932-

McKinney, Eugene, 1922-

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2003

Publication Information:

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
812.54 21	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"Irritating, arrogant, nuts -- and a genius." That's what Charles Laughton said of Paul Baker. He also said, "Paul Baker is one of the most important minds in the world theater today. He seems to have invented new ways of doing things, and I think something big will come out of it." Something big did come out of it. Baker's production of Eugene McKinney's A Different Drummer received an invitation from C.B.S. TV's cultural program, "Omnibus," to present the play live from their New York studio. Baker's production of As I Lay Dying, Robert Flynn's adaptation of William Faulkner's novel, brought an invitation to stage the play at the Theater of Nations in Paris, the first non-Broadway production to compete there. It won a Special Jury Award. His presentation of Preston Jones' Texas Trilogy, took Jones and the trilogy to Broadway. Baker's architectural visions at Baylor Theater, the Dallas Theater Center, and Trinity University's Ruth Taylor Theater have inspired similar constructions not only in the U.S. but in such unexpected places as Manila and Seoul. Architect Arthur Rogers stated, "No single person has contributed more to [theater architecture] than Paul Baker." Equally important to Baker was his role as a teacher and mentor. His teaching philosophy, based on his famous class "The Integration of Abilities," has been inspirational not only in the world of theater and the arts but also in religious worship, in the lives of those who have become parents, musicians, psychologists, insurance adjustors and businessmen. Despite invitations from theaters in other places including Austria, Germany, Yugoslavia, New Zealand, and offers of positions at other universities, Baker chose to remain in Texas where he was born and where he lives today. Book jacket.

Reviews (2)

Choice Review

An elaborate, heavily illustrated tribute, this book celebrates the long theatrical career of an artist who worked in his native Texas, created an unprecedented era of artistic development, and--as teacher and mentor--inspired a generation of worthy theatrical practitioners. Baker worked mostly at the Dallas Theater Center, Baylor University Theater, and Trinity University's Ruth Taylor Theater, but his view was not provincial, as demonstrated by his productions of the work of this volume's editors: McKinney's A Different Drummer and Flynn's adaptation of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, the first non-Broadway production invited to compete at the Theatre of Nations in Paris, where it won the Special Jury Award. Baker also staged Preston Jones's The Texas Trilogy, perhaps the finest original drama to emerge from Baker's region, an enduring work produced successfully on Broadway and around the world. Essentially a collection of reminiscences by coworkers and students of Baker, this book provides a valuable record of an important life in the theater but is likely to be of interest only to those studying the evolution of Texas theater. Despite its elegant packaging, the volume is reasonably priced and the contributions, including some by Baker himself, are generally well written and provocative. ^BSumming Up: Optional. Upper-division undergraduates through theater professionals. J. Fisher Wabash College

Library Journal Review

Baker is a delightfully colorful West Texas nonagenarian-and a theatrical genius. Over the last 50 years, he has created significant academic theater programs at Baylor and Trinity universities, become the founding artistic director of the Dallas Theater Center (which he ran for over two decades and in doing so helped launch the strong post-World War II American regional theater movement), developed and directed hundreds of original plays, advanced the state of theater architecture and design, and written a seminal text, Integration of Abilities: Exercises for Creative Growth. Edited by writer Flynn and playwright McKinney, this collection of 16 pieces, including one by Baker himself, reflects, illuminates, and pays homage to the innumerable dramatic and creative manifestations of one of the theater world's living treasures. The spaces he designed; his work with playwrights, actors, and, especially, students; his artistic aesthetic; and his dramatic signature piece, Hamlet ESP, all take center stage. A beautiful work and gift for a beautiful man, this is essential for all serious theater collections.-Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Eugene McKinneyWilliam M. DollArthur J. RogersHarry Thompson and Raymond E. CarverPaul BakerDarrel BaergenEugene McKinneyGlenn Allen SmithIrene CoreyClaudia SullivanMary BozemanFrances SwinnyLouise Mosley SmithKitty Baker and Irene Corey and Ruth Byers and Linda Daugherty and Robyn FlattSusan Russell and Julia Jarrell and Susan McAtee MondayThe Reverend Raymond Bailey

Introduction: A Tale of Five Cities	p. 1
The Integration of Abilities: Exercises for Creative Growth	p. 11
Paul Baker and Theater Architecture	p. 29
Baylor Theater: The Phoenix Rises	p. 43
Paris and Beyond	p. 55
Hope Springs Eternal: A Different Drummer Times Six	p. 79
Playwrights Are Made, Not Born	p. 95
Chester, Grace, and Me	p. 119
Roots and Wings	p. 147
Find Your Own Path: An Actor's Journey	p. 161
From the Baylor Othello to the Dallas Theater Center	p. 179
"Those Old Boats Don't Float"	p. 189
Booker T. Washington Arts High School	p. 197
Children and Teen Theater	p. 213
Learning About Learning	p. 229
Theater of the Spirit	p. 235
Paul Baker Biography	p. 245
Paul Baker's Theaters	p. 251
Contributors	p. 253
Index	p. 256

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (2)

Choice Review

Library Journal Review

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