Alice Marshall explores the question ‘What do you think entertainment is?’ by challenging the reader to consider and form their own views through the provision of interviews, professional opinions and researched topics.

Entertainment in the Performing Arts explores a range of sources to enable the reader to develop their own knowledge and understanding of what entertainment equates to. This book provides helpful starting points, including a range of perspectives from interviewed artists, to allow the reader to begin answering this key question for themselves. Throughout the chapters, the reader is presented with guided tasks to allow full immersion in the topics discussed. The author explores why we have an inbuilt need to entertain and be entertained, navigates the reader through the technological enhancements that have altered how we do this, discusses how audience gratification is not always key in entertainment and, furthermore, aims to expertly decipher what the word ‘entertainment’ specifically means.

This is an essential text for students of performing arts courses, artists aiming to develop their understanding of their practice and for those with an interest in entertainment.