Postdramatic Theatre and Form

Postdramatic theatre challenges classical drama elements, focusing on form and interdisciplinary artists. It expands how scholars think of theatrical form, examining space, media, and text. Chapters focus on Kantor, Young, Trecartin, Fitch, and theatre's entanglement with institutions.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 17 September 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Postdramatic theatre is a vital genre of performance that questions traditional dramatic elements, including the dominance of plot and character. By exploring significant advancements in contemporary European and North American theatre, this collection sheds light on the often overlooked issue of form. Contributors from various fields, including literary studies, film studies, and critical theory, reimagine the formal aspects of theatre, such as space, media, and text. The volume broadens the understanding of theatrical form, emphasizing that formalist analysis can be valuable in studying the production and consumption of theatre, as well as the interactions between theatre makers and other art forms like dance and visual art. The chapters delve into the work of diverse interdisciplinary artists, including Tadeusz Kantor, Ann Liv Young, Ryan Trecartin, and Lizzie Fitch, as well as the intricate relationship between theatre and institutional structures such as funding agencies, festivals, real estate, and healthcare. This timely exploration of the aesthetic structures and material conditions of contemporary performance offers a refined perspective on what constitutes postdramatic theatre and what it does not.

Weight: 356g
Dimension: 139 x 216 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350183308