Towards an Ecocritical Theatre: Playing the Anthropocene

Towards an Ecocritical Theatre explores how Anthropocene thinking engages different modes of theatrical representation and how the theatrical apparatus can rise to the representational challenges of changing interactions between humans and the nonhuman world. It investigates international Anglophone plays and performances by Caryl Churchill, Stephen Sewell, Andrew Bovell, E.M. Lewis, Chantal Bilodeau, Jordan Hall, and Miwa Matreyek, who have taken significant steps towards re-orienting theatre from its traditional focus on humans to an ecocritical attention to nonhumans and the environment in the Anthropocene. The plays and performances studied here provoke reflections on the flourishing of multispecies responsibilities and sensitivities in aesthetic and ethical terms, providing a platform for research in the environmental humanities through imaginative conversations on the worlds iterative performativity.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 234 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Introduction:
In the Anthropocene era, where human activities have profoundly impacted the Earth's ecosystems, theatre has emerged as a powerful medium for exploring the complex relationships between humans and the nonhuman world. Towards an Ecocritical Theatre delves into this critical realm, examining contemporary theatre through the lens of Anthropocene-oriented ecocriticism. By exploring how Anthropocene thinking engages different modes of theatrical representation and how the theatrical apparatus can rise to the representational challenges of changing interactions between humans and the nonhuman world, the book offers a comprehensive understanding of the role of theatre in shaping our understanding of the environment and our place in it.
Theoretical Framework:
The book draws upon a range of theoretical frameworks, including ecofeminism, posthumanism, and deep ecology, to analyze the ways in which theatre can contribute to an ecocritical understanding of the world. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing the agency of nonhuman actors and the interconnectedness of all living beings, and explores how theatre can facilitate the emergence of new modes of inquiry and ethical frameworks that prioritize the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants.
Case Studies:
To investigate these issues, the book analyzes international Anglophone plays and performances by Caryl Churchill, Stephen Sewell, Andrew Bovell, E.M. Lewis, Chantal Bilodeau, Jordan Hall, and Miwa Matreyek. These artists have taken significant steps towards re-orienting theatre from its traditional focus on humans to an ecocritical attention to nonhumans and the environment in the Anthropocene. Their theatrical works showcase how an engagement with the problem of scale disrupts the humanist bias of theatre, provoking new modes of theatrical inquiry that envision a scale beyond the human and realign our ecological culture, art, and intimacy with geological time.
Through their liveness, immediacy, physicality, and communality, these theatrical works examine such scalar shifts via the problem of agency, giving expression to the stories of nonhuman actants. They provoke reflections on the flourishing of multispecies responsibilities and sensitivities in aesthetic and ethical terms, providing a platform for research in the environmental humanities through imaginative conversations on the worlds iterative performativity in which all bodies, human and nonhuman, are cast horizontally as agential forces on the theatrical world stage.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Towards an Ecocritical Theatre is a groundbreaking work that offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary exploration of the role of theatre in the Anthropocene era. By examining how theatre can contribute to an ecocritical understanding of the world, the book provides valuable insights into the ways in which we can reimagine our relationships with the nonhuman world and create a more sustainable and just future. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of theatre studies, environmental humanities, and ecocritical studies, as well as anyone who is passionate about the intersection of art, culture, and the environment.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367500917