Dramaturgy of Form: Performing Verse in Contemporary Theatre

Dramaturgy of Form explores the use of verse in twenty-first-century theatre practice across different languages, cultures, and media, offering a new method for verse analysis in the performance context. It traces the dramaturgical operation of verse in new writings, musicals, devised performances, multilingual dramas, Hip Hop theatre, films, digital projects, and gig theatre, as well as translations and adaptations of classics and new theatre forms. The book discusses timely issues such as global identities, agency and precarity, global and local politics, and generational and class stories. It serves as a resource for theatre-makers, scholars, and students working with classical and contemporary verse and poetry in performance contexts, as well as practitioners and academics of aural and oral dramaturgies, voice and verse-speaking coaches, and actors seeking creative opportunities that verse offers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 130 pages
Publication date: 02 March 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Dramaturgy of Form delves into the examination of verse in twenty-first-century theatre practice,spanning across diverse languages,cultures,and media. Through an interdisciplinary approach,Kasia Lech presents a novel method for analyzing verse in the performance context.

The book explores the dramaturgical workings of verse in a wide array of contemporary works, including new writings, musicals, devised performances, multilingual dramas, Hip Hop theatre, films, digital projects, and gig theatre. It also encompasses translations and adaptations of classics and innovative theatre forms crafted by artists from various countries, including Ireland, Spain, Nigeria, Poland, America, Canada, Australia, Britain, Russia, and multinational backgrounds. These artists' verse dramaturgies delve into pressing issues such as global identities, agency and precarity, global and local politics, and narratives centered around generational and class experiences.

The book discusses the evolution of dramaturgy, with a particular focus on the emergence of the new stylized approach to theatre, as predicted by Hans-Thies Lehmann in his work Postdramatic Theatre. This shift represents a significant turning point in contemporary Western theatre. Serving as a valuable resource for theatre-makers, scholars, and students engaged with classical and contemporary verse and poetry in performance contexts; practitioners and academics of aural and oral dramaturgies; voice and verse-speaking coaches; and actors seeking the creative opportunities that verse presents, Dramaturgy of Form unveils verse as a powerful tool for innovation and transformation that is at the forefront of contemporary practices and experiences.

Weight: 288g
Dimension: 144 x 222 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367201937