Museum theatre can be one of the most effective and rewarding programs your institution ever undertakes, and it can be one of the most challenging! Some institutions shy away from theatre because it seems too foreign to their mission, while others take it on enthusiastically but with little understanding of its demands. In Exploring Museum Theatre Tessa Bridal, one of the leading experts in the field, helps bridge these gaps and leads you along the path to a successful museum theatre program. She covers the philosophical and historical background including how to find your style, developing your first program, costs and funding, working with actors, directors, and other professionals, technical issues, evaluations, promotion, presenting difficult issues, collaborations, and historic interpretation. Appendixes and a bibliography round out this excellent reference.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Tessa Bridal is considered by many museum administrators and theatre artists to be the country’s leading authority regarding the use of theatre as an educational tool in museums. Ms. Bridal’s professional reputation alone will be enough to convince those people to purchase this book. Having read the work, however, I can also testify with a great deal of enthusiasm that her discussions are both comprehensive and scholarly. — Larry Gard, Artistic Director, Carpenter Science Theatre Company of the Science Museum of Virginia
How I wish I had Tessa Bridal’s Exploring Museum Theatre when I became museum theatre coordinator for the Kentucky Historical Society five years ago. Like many of my compatriots, I entered this field having never heard of or encountered live theatrical experiences in a museum setting. Compacted with information from a variety of institutions, Bridal’s how-to-do-it manual serves as a sturdy guide for novices and old pros endeavoring to incorporate this interpretive tool into their institutions. — Mike Thomas, Museum Theatre Coordinator/ Kentucky Historical Society
Tessa Bridal doles out good advice in her book, Exploring Museum Theatre. She has written a sweeping how-to manual that covers the myriad elements required to create a successful museum theatre program. — Catherine Hughes, Ohio State University ―
Visitor Studies Today
This is a great book, well written, well researched, and a pleasure to read. I’m sure it will become the ‘must-read’ book for all museum theatre practitioners, educators, and museum professionals. — Dale Jones, Institute for Learning Innovation
About the Author
Tessa Bridal is Director of Public Programs for the Science Museum of Minnesota, one of the pioneer institutions in the use of theatre as an interpretive technique.
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