Description
Taylor & Francis Ltd Making A Performance Devising Histories & Contemporary Practices 2007 Edition by Emma Govan, Helen Nicholson, Katie Normington
Making a Performance traces innovations in devised performance from early theatrical experiments in the twentieth-century to the radical performances of the twenty-first century. This introduction to the theory, history and practice of devised performance explores how performance-makers have built on the experimental aesthetic traditions of the past. It looks to companies as diverse as Australia's Legs on the Wall, Britain's Forced Entertainment and the USA-based Goat Island to show how contemporary practitioners challenge orthodoxies to develop new theatrical languages. Designed to be accessible to both scholars and practitioners, this study offers clear, practical examples of concepts and ideas that have shaped some of the most vibrant and experimental practices in contemporary performance. Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1. The Art of Devising Part 1: Genealogies and Histories 2. But is it Art? Art and Non-Art 3. The Creative Performer 4. Art, Politics and Activism Part 2: Shaping Narratives 5. Autobiographical Performance 6. Narratives of Community 7. Adapting Fictional Stories Part 3: Places and Spaces 8. Making Performance Space/Creating Environments 9. The Place of the Artist 10. Between Routes and Roots: Performance, Place and Diaspora Part 4: Performing Bodies 11. The Speaking Body: Physical Theatres 12. Virtual Bodies Conclusion 13. Shifting Boundaries: Concluding Thoughts Bibliography Index