Foucaults theatres Theatre Theory Practice Performance

This book opens up innovative ways of reading philosophy ‘theatrically’, contributing to a new articulation of theatre and its relation to critical thought. Michel Foucault’s work is immensely influential in theatre and performance studies. This volume is the first to offer a critical appraisal of this groundbreaking thinker from the perspective of contemporary theatre and performance scholarship. It will be of vital interest to scholars and students concerned with the way Foucault’s work enables us to examine the multiple intersections of theory, philosophy, politics, power, history, and aesthetics in relation to theatre. It also offers dynamic new readings of Foucault’s work of interest to Foucault scholars in other fields. With cutting edge studies by established and emerging writers in areas such as dramaturgy, film, music, cultural history, and journalism, the volume aims to be accessible for advanced students encountering Foucault’s work for the first time. The introduction sets out a thorough and informative assessment of Foucault’s relevance to theatre and performance studies and to our present cultural moment. Indeed, while Foucault’s work has long been celebrated for incisively critiquing structures of power and discipline, gender and discourse, a new body of work published over the last decade has shed considerable new light on the complexities and, importantly for this volume, the theatricality inherent to his thought. Unique to this volume is the discovery of this ‘theatrical’ Foucault – the profound affinity his thinking has methodologically with questions of performativity. This discovery makes accessible the ‘performance turn’ to readers of Foucault and, in doing so, opens up ways of reading Foucault’s philosophy ‘theatrically’. The volume contributes to a new articulation of theatre and performance studies via Foucault’s critical thought. With cutting edge studies by established and emerging writers in areas such as dramaturgy, film, music, cultural history and journalism, the volume aims to be accessible for both experienced researchers and advanced students encountering Foucault’s work for the first time. The introduction sets out a thorough and informative assessment of Foucault’s relevance to theatre and performance studies and to our present cultural moment – it rereads his profound engagement with questions of truth, power and politics, in light of previously unknown writings and lectures set in relation to current political and cultural concerns. Unique to this volume is the discovery of a ‘theatrical’ Foucault - the profound affinity of his thinking with questions of performativity. This discovery makes accessible the ‘performance turn’ to readers of Foucault, while opening up ways of reading Foucault’s oeuvre ‘theatrically’.