Re-Play: Studies of Human Drama in Education

P.J. Kemp was a journalist living in Brigham, Quebec.

In Re-Play, Richard Courtney, “a well-known figure in drama and education,” considers “the study of human drama, both personal and cultural ... chapters describe instruction, giftedness, English and language learning, dramatherapy, the nature of culture, and a rationale for the arts in education.”

I dislike quoting so extensively from the backcover blurb, but the motive and certainly the explication of the book are profoundly obfuscated between the covers. Not the least of the problem is that the writing style lacks clarity: “In terms of Curriculum, connotative and extensional definitions are more likely to be used in descriptions of the Curriculum Moment and, to a lesser extent, within applied discourse. Denotative and intentional definitions, on the other hand, are most likely to be used in academic discourse.” This is representative of the whole. But more important, if I were sufficiently motivated to head/teach/participate in a drama group, Re-Play is the sort of book I’d religiously avoid, since it labors mightily to bring forth only air. Reading plays, watching plays, then going ahead and doing drama based on the experience is the superior approach; the philosophical implications and intrinsic value of drama would then proceed and develop naturally. Anyone who seriously needs Re-Play ought not to be associated with drama in the first place.

Moreover, the $24.50 price for a soft-cover book of a little over 200 pages, and of such dubious practical value, is an outrage. Better to buy a paperback set of Shakespeare.