Performing Objects and Theatrical Things

By: Marlis Schweitzer (Editor), Joanne Zerdy (Editor)

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Hardcover | 5 September 2014 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
282 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 14.61 x 2.54

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Performing Objects and Theatrical Things rethinks historical and contemporary theatre, performance, and cultural events from the perspective of the objects and things that activate stages, venues, environments, and archives. Embracing methodologies from Actor-Network Theory, thing theory, new materialism, cultural geography, and material culture studies, we understand physical materials not as inert human possessions but as actants, with particular frequencies, energies, and potentials to affect human and non-human worlds. The texts, stage properties, instruments, costumes, photographs, and detritus that animate this collection emerge from the thirteenth to the twenty-first century, traversing sites in Mexico, Norway, Spain, Scotland, England, Canada, and the United States. Challenging anthropocentric narratives that foreground humans as sole agents, our authors present object and 'thingcentric' methodologies that range from deeply personal autoethnographic reflections and close textual readings to carefully researched archival studies and rhizomatic explorations of an object's journey from one place and time to another.

Industry Reviews

'This valuable collection approaches performance through a focus on objects, and objects through a focus on performance. Across a variety of engaging essays, the book makes evident the range of new materialisms taking shape in and as performance studies as well as the contribution performance studies can make to the new materialist criticism.' - Rebecca Schneider, Brown University, USA

'Performing Objects and Theatrical Things is a stimulating, multifaceted intercisciplinary exploration of the theatrical and performance life of everyday objects in light of recent new materialist, actor network, 'thing' and other theories, held together by the conviction, as the editors say, that matter matters. It will be essential reading for students of theatre and performance for years to come.' - Ric Knowles, Editor, Theatre Journal

'This timely book offers multiple perspectives on the intersection between performance and materiality. With precision and daring, the essays analyze objects onstage, in archives, and in everyday life, as well as the material textures of performance itself. Marlis Schweitzer and Joanne Zerdy's masterful Introduction provides an ideal overview of the theoretical terrain, thus making the anthology accessible to those new to the field. This is a lively, useful, deeply interesting book.' Robin Bernstein, author of Racial Innocence: Performing American Childhood from Slavery to Civil Rights

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