The Greatest Shows on Earth

by Professor of Psychology John Freeman
The Greatest Shows on Earth
Author: Professor of Psychology John Freeman
Publisher: Libri Publishing Limited
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2011-11-01
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1907471871
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What makes a particular performance 'great'? The Greatest Shows on Earth offers an address that focuses sharply on theatre as performance: as an event that can stir the blood, the spirit and the brain like nothing else. The result is a book about fourteen outstanding theatre events from a dozen countries. In discrete, production-focused chapters, work from Peter Brook's King Lear through to the Sydney Olympics Opening Event is approached by a team of international scholars and practitioners, each describing in print that which existed in time and space and, most significantly, within specific contexts. What binds these chapters together is the conviction that whilst liveness disappears in a moment, spectatorship can translate into documentation that adds something to a work's value ... even as so much else can never be captured in words. In wrestling with ephemerality and memory, The Greatest Shows on Earth does more than make a case for what makes certain theatre great, it foregrounds analysis with emotion and writing with the type of first-person engagement that is usually edited out rather than invited in. John Freeman lectures in Performance Studies at Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. He has written extensively on theatre, art, pedagogy and research for numerous international journals, newspapers, magazines, books, government and funding agencies, galleries, festivals and consultancy panels. The Greatest Shows on Earth is his fifth book.

The Greatest Shows on Earth

by Linda Simon
The Greatest Shows on Earth
Author: Linda Simon
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2014-11-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 1780233981
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Beautifully illustrated and filled with rich historical detail and colorful anecdotes, this is a vibrant history for all those who have ever dreamed of running away to the circus, now in paperback. “Step right up!” and buy a ticket to the Greatest Show on Earth—the Big Top, containing death-defying stunts, dancing bears, roaring tigers, and trumpeting elephants. The circus has always been home to the dazzling and the exotic, the improbable and the impossible—a place of myth and romance, of reinvention, rebirth, second acts, and new identities. Asking why we long to soar on flying trapezes, ride bareback on spangled horses, and parade through the streets in costumes of glitter and gold, this captivating book illuminates the history of the circus and the claim it has on the imaginations of artists, writers, and people around the world. Traveling back to the circus’s early days, Linda Simon takes us to eighteenth-century hippodromes in Great Britain and intimate one-ring circuses in nineteenth-century Paris, where Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso became enchanted with aerialists and clowns. She introduces us to P. T. Barnum, James Bailey, and the enterprising Ringling Brothers and reveals how they created the golden age of American circuses. Moving forward to the whimsical Circus Oz in Australia and to New York City’s Big Apple Circus and the grand spectacle of Cirque du Soleil, she shows how the circus has transformed in recent years. At the center of the story are the people—trick riders and tightrope walkers, sword swallowers and animal trainers, contortionists and clowns—that created the sensational, raucous, and sometimes titillating world of the circus.

The Greatest Nation of the Earth

by Heather Cox Richardson
The Greatest Nation of the Earth
Author: Heather Cox Richardson
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2009-07-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780674059658
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While fighting a war for the Union, the Republican party attempted to construct the world's most powerful and most socially advanced nation. Rejecting the common assumption that wartime domestic legislation was a series of piecemeal reactions to wartime necessities, Heather Cox Richardson argues that party members systematically engineered pathbreaking laws to promote their distinctive theory of political economy. Republicans were a dynamic, progressive party, the author shows, that championed a specific type of economic growth. They floated billions of dollars in bonds, developed a national currency and banking system, imposed income taxes and high tariffs, passed homestead legislation, launched the Union Pacific railroad, and eventually called for the end of slavery. Their aim was to encourage the economic success of individual Americans and to create a millennium for American farmers, laborers, and small capitalists. However, Richardson demonstrates, while Republicans were trying to construct a nation of prosperous individuals, they were laying the foundation for rapid industrial expansion, corporate corruption, and popular protest. They created a newly active national government that they determined to use only to promote unregulated economic development. Unwittingly, they ushered in the Gilded Age.

The Greatest Guides to Achieving Peace & Prosperity

by Niccolò Machiavelli
The Greatest Guides to Achieving Peace & Prosperity
Author: Niccolò Machiavelli
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 3297
Release: 2023-12-22
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN:
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The Greatest Guides to Achieving Peace & Prosperity is an unparalleled anthology that curates the wisdom of some of the most influential minds across centuries and cultures, focusing on the dual aspirations of inner harmony and worldly success. This collection spans a breathtaking array of literary styles and philosophical perspectives, reflecting each author's unique approach to the universal quests for tranquility and abundance. From the strategic rigor of Niccolò Machiavelli to the poetic musings of Kahlil Gibran, and the practical advice of Napoleon Hill, each piece serves as a standalone testament to the power of thought and intention in shaping ones fate. The anthology stands out for its inclusion of both ancient wisdom and modern thought, bridging gaps between eras and ideologies. The contributing authors and editors come from remarkably diverse backgrounds, yet all have made significant contributions to the philosophical, economic, and spiritual dialogues of their time. Collectively, their work represents significant movements such as Transcendentalism, The New Thought movement, and classical philosophy, to name a few. This array of contributors ensures a comprehensive exploration of the anthology's themes, providing readers with a rich tapestry of insights into achieving a balanced and affluent life. The Greatest Guides to Achieaching Peace & Prosperity is recommended for those who seek to navigate the complexities of life with grace and success. It offers a unique opportunity to engage with the thoughts and teachings of some of history's most profound thinkers, making it an invaluable resource for students of philosophy, history, and the human condition. This anthology not only enriches the readers intellectual landscape but also provides practical advice and timeless wisdom for cultivating a life of fulfillment and prosperity. It is a must-read for anyone aspiring to understand the intricate balance between external success and internal peace.

The Late Great Planet Earth

by Hal Lindsey
The Late Great Planet Earth
Author: Hal Lindsey
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2016-10-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310531063
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The impact of The Late Great Planet Earth cannot be overstated. The New York Times called it the "no. 1 non-fiction bestseller of the decade." For Christians and non-Christians of the 1970s, Hal Lindsey's blockbuster served as a wake-up call on events soon to come and events already unfolding -- all leading up to the greatest event of all: the return of Jesus Christ. The years since have confirmed Lindsey's insights into what biblical prophecy says about the times we live in. Whether you're a church-going believer or someone who wouldn't darken the door of a Christian institution, the Bible has much to tell you about the imminent future of this planet. In the midst of an out-of-control generation, it reveals a grand design that's unfolding exactly according to plan. The rebirth of Israel. The threat of war in the Middle East. An increase in natural catastrophes. The revival of Satanism and witchcraft. These and other signs, foreseen by prophets from Moses to Jesus, portend the coming of an antichrist . . . of a war which will bring humanity to the brink of destruction . . . and of incredible deliverance for a desperate, dying planet.