Main description:

This book is essential reading for students of ritual and drama theory and a significant work for anyone in the field of drama therapy. It concerns the relationship between corporate ritual and theatre, a subject which is often mentioned but rarely examined in any depth. The author is an anthropologist whose work in liturgy and theatrical experience has become well-known in academic circles, without losing touch with the ordinary reader to whom it is addressed. In particular, his name is associated with the spiritual identity of various kinds of therapeutic theatre, and the anthropological significance that dramatic ritual possesses for human beings everywhere. The author draws supportive evidence from a range of directions - Christian theology, depth psychology, acting theory, the personal testimony of those involved in theatre and religious ritual, anthropological research, existential philosophy - all of which contribute to an understanding of the underlying nature of the ritual impulse and its kinship with theatre.