Experiments in Listening

This book explores the relationship between listening and the theatrical encounter in Western theatre and performance,proposing that the theatrical encounter prioritizes the attentive over the declarative. It is accompanied by five zines that describe an embodied experience of knowledge from a personal perspective.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 280 pages
\n Publication date: 17 June 2021
\n Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
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This book delves into the intricate relationship between listening and the theatrical encounter within the context of Western theatre and performance. Rather than seeking a politics or ethics of performance solely on the stage, author Rajni Shah explores the underlying factors that enable or hinder a group of individuals to come together as an 'audience.' Shah proposes that the theatrical encounter is a framework that prioritizes attentive engagement over declarative communication. Each of the five chapters in the book serves as an exploration of this proposition.

In the first two chapters, Shah offers insightful readings of the terms 'listening' and 'audience,' drawing primarily from the writings of Gemma Corradi Fiumara on the philosophy of listening and Stanley Cavell on being-in-audience. The third chapter delves into the work of Lying Fallow, the first of two practice elements that form part of this research. It examines whether and how this project aligns with the modes of listening proposed thus far, while also introducing Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's writing on the preposition 'beside' in relation to being-in-audience.

In the fourth chapter, Shah explores the role of invitation in setting the parameters for being-in-audience, drawing upon Sara Ahmed's insights on arrival and encounter. The final chapter, the second practice element titled Experiments in Listening, aims to expand our understanding of where and how the work of being-in-audience takes place.

By seamlessly blending the boundaries of theoretical, creative, and practice-based artistic work, this book is accompanied by a series of five zines. These zines offer an embodied experience of knowledge, presented both playfully and seriously, from a personal perspective. Together, these elements enrich the reader's understanding of the complex interplay between listening and the theatrical encounter in Western theatre and performance.

\n Weight: 454g\n
Dimension: 154 x 228 x 18 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781538144299\n \n